Shimla, Aug 6 (IANS) The main Opposition BJP in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu of raising the highest debt in the state’s history.
BJP spokesperson Rajinder Rana while talking to the media here alleged that besides record debt the Chief Minister will also be remembered for favouring his people in “corruption”, establishing a record for registering the highest number of frivolous cases against political opponents simply due to political vendetta.
“Himachal Pradesh is no longer being governed by a democratic government but by a syndicate of favourites,” he claimed.
According to Rana, from key decisions in the Secretariat to appointments across departments, the influence of this “syndicate is visible everywhere”.
He further alleged that taxpayers’ money is being spent not on development but on maintaining dozens of Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), advisers, media advisers, and politically appointed individuals.
The former legislator said during the tenures of former Chief Ministers Dr Y.S. Parmar, Shanta Kumar, Prem Kumar Dhumal, Virbhadra Singh and Jairam Thakur, political appointments were limited.
He claimed that in contrast, the present government has appointed a record number of advisors and OSDs, placing an unnecessary burden on the state exchequer merely to provide political patronage.
Launching a direct attack on the government’s financial management, Rana alleged that while Himachal Pradesh took several decades after attaining statehood to accumulate its earlier debt, the present government has borrowed a record amount within a single term, pushing the state towards a severe financial crisis.
He claimed the government was borrowing new loans merely to repay previous ones, while development was absent on the ground.
Despite receiving thousands of crores from the Central government for National Highways, disaster relief, and development projects, roads remain in poor condition, bridges are damaged, and people in rural areas continue to struggle for basic connectivity.
Rana further alleged that Himachal Pradesh is witnessing deterioration in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and tourism.
State-run Himachal Road Transport Corp is facing an unprecedented financial crisis, several bus routes have been discontinued, and there are reports of shortages of diesel and spare parts.
He alleged that employees are facing delays in financial benefits and pensioners continue to suffer, while the government limits itself to announcements instead of delivering results.
The BJP leader also accused the government of preparing to hand over profitable public assets to private interests. He said revenue-generating hotels of the state-run Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp, as well as important government properties such as Himachal Niketan in New Delhi, will be handed over to the private entrepreneurs.
If the government’s intentions are transparent, he asked, why are these decisions not being placed before the public?
–IANS
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