BJP's Jairam Thakur urges Himachal CM to stop blaming others for the state's financial crisis

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 4 (ANI): Jairam Thakur, the Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly has strongly criticised Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, urging him to stop blaming previous governments and the Central government for the state's financial woes.
Speaking to ANI, Thakur emphasised that it is the Chief Minister's responsibility to ensure that salaries are paid to employees and pensions are distributed.
"Himachal Pradesh has more employees than any other state in proportion to its population. So we must accept the fact that a large part of the provisions made in our budget, about 39-40%, goes into pensions and salaries." he said
The state LoP mentioned that there is a committed liability of Rs 2000 crore which is used to pay the salaries and pensions of employees.
"There is a committed liability of Rs2000 crore that must be paid to employees and pensioners. It's the fourth day of the month, yet salaries and pensions have not been disbursed. The state's financial position is dire, and there are no available resources. I think we need to have a balance. The Chief Minister is increasing prices on essentials such as cement, diesel, and groceries, while also raising taxes and transport fares. We must ensure that the burden is not placed on the people of the state. There is a need to identify arrears, halt unnecessary expenditures, and increase resources," Thakur stated.
Thakur further criticised the Chief Minister's contradictory statements regarding the financial health of the state.
"The state is in a severe financial crisis. The Chief Minister's statements are inconsistent--one moment he claims there's a financial crisis, and the next he says Himachal will be the richest state by 2027. He is simply blaming previous governments and the Union government for his own failings. As Chief Minister, it is your duty to pay salaries and pensions. You cannot avoid your responsibilities by making excuses. The people of Himachal Pradesh will not accept this," Thakur warned.
Earlier, BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan also condemned the state government over the non-payment of salaries to state government employees
"Utterly misled by their irrational, kathakat, voodoo economics and tughlaq economics of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress government in Himachal has plunged the state into financial ruin and brink of bankruptcy. Like an unreliable, unsafe and precarious leaky boat, the Congress government with its reckless false promises it made to the people during elections has plunged the state and its future of its people into disparate darkness", said Kesavan.
Earlier in the Himachal Assembly session, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu acknowledged the financial struggles in the House, announcing a two-month deferment of salaries for himself, ministers, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) and MLAs. However, he later claimed there was no financial crisis. (ANI)