MillenniumPost
Nation

'It's BJP's parting Budget in Himachal'

Its BJPs parting Budget in Himachal
X

Shimla: Terming state's Budget for year 2022-23 as 'bundle of lies' and a complete jugglery of figures, Opposition Congress launched a scathing attack against Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur for pushing the state to bankruptcy. Budget is a departure bid to cling to power as the BJP was on a losing ground in the state.

Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, who initiated debate on the Budget, which Chief Minister had tabled in the state Assembly on Friday, described the Budget as BJP's parting gift to the state.

"The Budget will surely mark BJP's departure from power in the next elections, slated by end of the year but Mr Chief Minister (Jai Ram Thakur ji) you will be remembered for resorting to record borrowings, higher than all your predecessors," said Agnihotri.

He claimed that the Budget document was silent on the exact debt burden on the state, which was stated to be Rs 63,200 crore but will end up at Rs 70,000 crore by March 2022.

The Chief Minister, who was present in the House countered Agnihotri asserting it as a universally accepted process to raise loans for Budget financing.

In his intervention, Thakur said the precedent to raise loans was started by none other than earlier Congress governments led by Virbhadra Singh.

"My situation is very different as the Covid pandemic had wrecked the economy badly.None of the earlier Chief Ministers faced this situation. Yet, I tried to keep the debt burden under check. Whatever borrowing was done it was within the legal frameworks," said the Chief Minister.

The House witnessed repeated disruptions even as Agnihotri also clashed with the Chief Minister as he described the Budget as 'visionless, directionless and hollow promises".

Agnihotri also raised his doubts on the state government's figures on growth rate at 8.3 percent during the years against negative growth of 6.2 percent in 2021-22.

"How has Himachal Pradesh become the fastest economy within one year? What magic have you done Mr Chief Minister to surpass the 72 year record of the country ? It's a clear fudging of statistics and jugglery figures," said the Leader of the Opposition.

He claimed that during the past five years, the state has not progressed in any sector of development. The condition of roads and highways is the worst. No new highway has been completed. The dream project of the Chief Minister to have a green field airport in Mandi has collapsed. The people are opposed to it and not ready to give lands. Railway expansion plans have not seen light of the day.

The Leader of Opposition suspected a major scam in Jal Jeevan Mission tendering and raised doubts as to how come only two constituencies –one of Chief Minister and second that of Jal Shakti minister have got a lion's share in allocations.

He questioned why the Budget document is silent on liquor mafia, drug mafia, explosives mafia and even state's law and order situation when 1397 rape cases were reported in the state as per crime data.

Agnihotri said the announcement on reduction in age for social security pensions to 60 years will have no meaning as the government has fixed a limit to add only 40,000 new cases. Even the rise in the pension is meagre.

"Why double standard on pensions? You are denying pension to employees who were ill-treated and thrashed by the police near the state Assembly during their protest two days back but at the same time announcing doles for persons above 60 years," he asked.

Next Story
Share it