Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday alleged that the erstwhile BJP government in the state had indulged in “reckless spending” and opened institutions entrailing expenditure of Rs 5,000 crore without keeping adequate budget provisions.
Sukhu alleged that the BJP government had left the state with a burden of Rs 30000 Cr in 2022-23.
Replying to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the governor’s address, the chief minister accused the erstwhile BJP government of “misusing public funds” in a bid to secure victory in the 2022 Assembly elections. Sukhu stated, “For political gain, the state resources were looted. The BJP spent public money over confidently, thinking it would help them win the election.”
Sukhu also addressed allegations made by Trilok Jamwal about the non-payment of matching grants for the Bhanupali-Bilaspur railway project and clarified that the state government had released approximately Rs 1,201 crore, including Rs 848 crore paid by both Congress and BJP for land acquisition. He added that Rs 150 crore was paid for the Bilaspur-Baddi railway line, bringing the total spent on the project to Rs 348 crore.
On the issue of the Himcare scheme, Sukhu revealed that a social audit of the scheme found a spending of Rs 1,200 crore under the previous government, with around Rs 530 crore paid by the Congress government. He criticised the exploitation of the scheme by private hospitals, claiming, “If Rs 50,000 were paid to each patient, they could have been provided with better healthcare. Rs 500 crore was spent at government hospitals, and Rs 350 crore was wasted on private hospitals under the previous government.”
Sukhu added that, under Himcare, about 9.5 lakh patients were sent outside Himachal Pradesh for treatment due to the poor condition of local hospitals. He pointed out the outdated equipment, like the 19-year-old MRI machine at IGMC, forcing many patients to seek treatment in other states.
Addressing the state’s finances, Sukhu slammed the BJP for leaving a massive debt. “The state had taken a loan tune of Rs 16,261 crore in 2022-23 in nine months, but the total borrowing in the year was Rs 30,000 crore out of which Congress managed to repay Rs 18,000 crore in the next financial year ,” he said
Opposition members, however, went out of the house midway through the Chief Minister’s speech. In response, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania condemned the walkout, stating that leaving the house without providing a reason was highly condemnable. The Speaker also expunged derogatory remarks made by the Leader of the Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur against the state government, before the opposition members left the house.
