Pandemonium broke out in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday as BJP members trooped into the well of the House raising slogans after Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri presented a 'White Paper' accusing the previous Jai Ram Thakur-led government of financial mismanagement.
BJP's Thakur, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said Agnihoti was misleading the House by quoting wrong figures. As the two leaders engaged in a war of words, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania adjourned the House till 2 pm. When the House reassembled, the BJP members again created a ruckus even as the deputy CM resumed his statement on the 'White Paper'.
The BJP is becoming jittery as its financial mismanagement and wasteful expenditure has been exposed, Agnihotri said. Presenting the 'White Paper' on the state's financial position as of March 31, 2023, Agnihotri said the cumulative liability of the state government exceeded Rs 92,774 crore. It included a debt liability of Rs 76,630 crore, Rs 10,600 crore on account of unpaid dues due to revised pay scales and dearness allowance, and other liabilities of Rs 5,544 crore, he said.
Himachal Pradesh is now ranked among the five most debt-ridden states in the country and according to the data of the Reserve Bank of India, the per capita debt which was Rs 66,000 when Thakur took over in December 2017 has increased to Rs 1,02,818, the deputy CM said. Agnihotri also accused the previous BJP government of borrowing Rs 16,262 crore during the election year in 2022-23.
Agnihotri pointed out that the BJP government inherited a loan liability of Rs 47,906 crore in 2017-18 and raised additional loans worth Rs 28,784 crore with an average annual increase of 12 per cent. He also hit out at the Union government for not releasing Rs 1,000 crore for Mandi Airport, Rs 400 crore for Kangra Airport and Rs 20 crore for Jwalamukhi, allocated by the 15th Finance Commission.
Referring to the avoidable expenditures incurred by the previous government, Agnihotri said Rs 8 crore were spent on programmes related to “Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, Rs 6 crore on lunch served at Jan Manch and Rs 8 crore liability on account of hiring of HRTC buses for rallies.
