Himachal Pradesh Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh today condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership, specifically National BJP President JP Nadda and MP Anurag Thakur for their failure to secure rightful financial support for Himachal Pradesh from the central government.
They asked when the BJP would deliver the funds which it owed to the state emphasizing that the BJP's actions reflect an anti-state agenda to hinder the state's progress.
The ministers said that since the present state government reinstated the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for its 1.36 lakh employees, the BJP leaders had been conspiring against the state Congress government. Their "Operation Lotus" to grab power had fallen flat, they asserted.
The duo suggested that Nadda speak on facts rather than creating sensations.
"The Central government is withholding nearly Rs. 10,000 crore of the employees as contributions from the. towards the National Pension Scheme (NPS).
When the state implemented the OPS, it was the responsibility of the Union Government to return the funds of the employees contributed towards NPS, but it was quite disgusting that they have held the money deliberately," he said.
The Ministers pointed out various restrictions imposed by the Central government on Himachal Pradesh, limiting the state's ability to borrow funds.
They said that during the previous BJP government, freebies amounting to Rs 5,000 crore were distributed within the last six months of their regime which overburdened the state treasury.
They criticised the BJP for not giving the disaster relief fund to HP, stating that the Central government had not released the relief amount as per the Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) claims submitted by the state.
They said the Congress government had taken proactive steps to address the disaster's impact by allocating Rs 4500 crore from its resources to rebuild over 23,000 damaged houses and give relief to the disaster affected. The BJP leaders walked out of the State Assembly rather than supporting the claim of disaster relief fund from the centre and declared Himachal's tragedy as a 'National Disaster'.
This demonstrated the double standards of BJP leaders, who, in pursuit of their petty political gains, neglected the rights and the needs of people in distress.
The duo reaffirmed their commitment to the welfare of women, stating that those eligible were receiving financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month.
They denounced the BJP's attempts to spread disinformation about the economic crisis in Himachal, asserting that the state was progressing towards self-reliance through systematic reforms.
They reminded the public of the job recruitment and mining scams that occurred during the BJP regime. They emphasised that the Congress government was dedicated to transparency and accountability, as demonstrated by its decisions aimed at benefiting the public and revitalising the dipping economy which was weakened by the previous government's excessive spending.
They expressed confidence that the people of Himachal Pradesh do well recognise that the BJP leaders' attempted to tarnish the image and reputation of the government's reputation and which will not be allowed.
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