Union Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday came down heavily on the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, terming it a "government of cuts and commissions" with no governance and no management.
Talking to mediapersons here, Nadda, who strongly raised state-related issues, said the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh was trying to create a narrative that the Central Government was not helping the state.
“This is totally false. Rather, the Government of India has no dearth of funds for Himachal Pradesh or, for that matter, any state. It has been helping Himachal in every possible way, as Himachal is special for Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
“The problem is that the state government has not been following financial discipline. The current government in the state does not provide the Government of India with the necessary details or utilisation certificates and wants the entire money to come untied, which cannot be done. How is it possible that whatever you get from the Centre, you want to directly link to the treasury for salaries?” the Union Minister said.
Nadda said there was no concept of a special package. “It is about handholding by the Centre. But for that, the state has to maintain financial discipline, as money comes under various schemes. The Congress government here does not even justify where it is spending the money and always submits inflated proposals without details,” he said.
He said the bulk drug park in Una would remain in Himachal Pradesh and the Centre had no intention of shifting it to another state, despite the state government's lackadaisical approach.
The Union Minister, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, said the state government had failed in running the state as far as financial prudence was concerned. He said it was surprising that the treasury was being run on WhatsApp messages. He added that even for the Rs 1,500 crore disaster relief assistance, the state government had not submitted the required details.
Asked about the BJP's stand on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which the Congress government restored in Himachal Pradesh as part of its poll guarantee, Nadda said, “Our stand remains the same as in the previous election. UPS is being implemented across the country.” Referring to former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, he said he would examine what could be done regarding the cases of employees who were shifted to OPS from the New Pension Scheme after the Congress came to power in 2022.
The Union Minister said as per the CAG report, Himachal Pradesh's debt burden had crossed Rs 1 lakh crore. He alleged there was no coordination in the administration and that development had come to a standstill in the state.
“What is this culture where top bureaucrats are blaming each other for corruption and the political bosses are mute spectators?” he asked. “People do not want excuses or politics in everything; they want development,” he said.
Nadda said the Chief Minister knew in advance that the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) would be discontinued for all states and questioned how long the Centre could continue disbursing money under the grant. “The states must also work out their own ways,” he said.
He listed the Centre's funding for various development works, including AIIMS Bilaspur, initiatives in the health sector and the construction of national highways across the state.
He urged the state government to work harder in the interest of Himachal Pradesh rather than blaming the Centre for every issue. Nadda, however, evaded a query on whether he planned to return to state politics.
“I am a Himachali. I am in Delhi and I will keep working there,” he said. He said the BJP would return to power in Himachal Pradesh in 2027.
“The Panchayati Raj elections and Municipal Corporation elections in the state, where the BJP registered an impressive victory, have strongly indicated this,” he said.
Also read: Himachal Governor proposes religious corridor linking J&K, HP
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