"BJP plundered state treasury instead of investing in development": Himachal CM Sukhu

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 10 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday accused the previous BJP government of plundering the state treasury and spending extravagantly instead of investing in development and essential infrastructure.
According to a statement from the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister's Office, Sukhu questioned the BJP's defence of the 16th Finance Commission's observations on the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG). He said the BJP government had benefited from Rs 54,296 crore in RDG during its tenure.
As per the Himachal Pradesh CM, this grant, which accounted for 25 to 30 per cent of the state's total revenue receipts, along with Rs. 16000 crore in GST compensation, was allegedly utilised for political stabilisation and freebies rather than addressing the state's long-term fiscal health.
The Chief Minister highlighted a stark contrast in the financial support received by the two administrations, noting that while the BJP received over Rs 54296 crore across five years, the current government has received only Rs 17563 crore in the last three years, nearly half of the previous allocation.

He said that the BJP got Rs. 8449 crore in 2018-19 during the 14th Finance Commission as RDG, Rs 8271 crore in 2019-20, Rs 8062 crore in 2020-21, besides Rs. 11431 crore as an interim grant, Rs. 7834 crore in the year 2021-22 and Rs 10249 crore in 2022-23 by the 15th Finance Commission, totalling Rs. 54296 crore.
Whereas the present Congress government just got Rs. 8058 crore in the year 2023-24 during the 15th Finance Commission, Rs 6258 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 3257 crore in 2025-26, totalling Rs 17563 crore, which is almost less than half of the amount the BJP got in the form of RDG.
Despite the substantial funds available to them, the BJP government failed to disburse employee arrears or announce Dearness Allowance (DA). Furthermore, the Chief Minister highlighted that the previous regime did not invest significantly in health infrastructure, a sector the current government is now prioritising with a Rs. 3000 crore modernisation plan and an additional Rs. 1300 crore under JICA Phase-II to upgrade healthcare delivery systems.
The state CM also said that the fiscal landscape inherited in December 2022 was characterised by a massive accumulation of debt and deferred financial commitments. By the end of the BJP's term, the state's total outstanding debt had surged to approximately Rs. 76185 crore, an increase of nearly Rs. 28000 crore in just five years. This burden was exacerbated by a Rs. 10,000-crore liability for revised pay-scale arrears and DA, which the Chief Minister labelled a 'last-minute' political manoeuvre undertaken without any budgetary provisions.
The Chief Minister also criticised the BJP for what he called an "opening spree" of more than 900 institutions in the final six months of its tenure, which created an additional unfunded annual liability of Rs 5,000 crore. He said the present government was forced to de-notify many of these institutions to prevent economic collapse.
Concluding his remarks, Chief Minister Sukhu stated that the BJP's current "hue and cry" over the state's fiscal position is hypocritical given their history of vandalising the state's treasury. He emphasised that while the present government is successfully introducing advanced medical technologies such as robotic surgery, it is also considering establishing bone marrow transplant centres at IGMC.
He added that BJP leaders were personally invited to a presentation on Sunday to understand the state's fiscal position but chose to attend other functions instead of focusing on the financial health of Himachal Pradesh and the welfare of its people. (ANI)