Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Wednesday alleged that the Virbhadra Singh Government in its short tenure had bought the economy of the State on the brink of bankruptcy due to its lack of financial discipline, heavy loans and avoidable extravagance.
Addressing a news conference here, he said in sharp contrast, the BJP Government had taken a loan of Rs 6,672 crore during the period between 2008 and 2012 only, the Chief Minister had raised enormous loan of over Rs 5,000 crore in the present short tenure of one year three months and 14 days. Out of that loan BJP Government had also discharged the arrears/ liabilities of the employees amounting to Rs 8.5 crore, he added. Dhumal lamented that the UPA Government at the Centre and Congress in the State had landed Himachal Pradesh Government in acute financial crisis.
He said for the first time the BJP Government took up vigorously the matter of gross injustice with Himachal Pradesh denying it its rightful share in the power projects built in the territory of the State with the financial assistance and loans given by the Central Government and after a long drawn legal battle the BJP won the case in the Supreme Court. The daily income of crores of rupees went to the so-called beneficiary States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh was not given even a single pie, he bemoaned.
“What is most unfortunate is that even after the decision of the Supreme Court in favour of Himachal Pradesh the politically powerful beneficiary States had adopted an evasive attitude in implementing the decision of the supreme Court,” he said. Dhumal said Himachal Congress leaders did not have the guts to take up the genuine issues with the Congress led UPA Government at the centre to the detriment of Himachal Pradesh.
He said Vajpayee had granted special economic package to Himachal Pradesh with the view to lifting the backward state out of the mire of poverty, but the UPA Government soon after coming to power withdrew it leaving Himachal Pradesh in lurch.
The former Chief Minister said Congress in Himachal came to power by making false promises which were never implemented. Its promise to give unemployment allowance to the educated youth has not been fulfilled and had caused frustration and anger among them. The other promise to increase the daily of the laborers to Rs 200 was also mocking at the Chief Minister, he remarked. Similarly free travelling facilities to students had also flopped. “The million dollars question is why should the people of Himachal Pradesh cast their votes to Congress which had been lying and cheating the peopleIJ” he asked.
‘Dhumal issuing baseless statements’
Shimla: Addressing a series of meetings in the State, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that realising the impending defeat of BJP in lok Sabha elections in the State, Prem Kumar Dhumal has lost stability of mind.
“Almost every day Dhumal was issuing baseless statements of overthrowing the Congress Governments both at the centre and in the state. Not only was he insulting the constitution of the country but also the legislative principles,” Singh said.
Virbhadra was addressing election rallies in Ambota, Churu, Chowki-maniyar, Sohari and Mairi in Una district which falls under the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency. The Chief Minister claimed that Congress was synonymous with development and during past one year the Congress Government in the State has achieved many milestones.
Rajinder Rana, Congress candidate from Hamirpur constituency said sitting MP Anurag Thakur should tell the people of the constituency why Rs 4.90 crore of MPlAD fund was surrendered and not utilised by him which affected the development of the area. He said Anurag was a high profile leader and had nothing to do with the problems of the people of the State.