In a fiery rebuttal amid post-budget tensions, Himachal Pradesh’s Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of peddling falsehoods about the Revenue Deficit Grant’s end. Speaking in Shimla, Thakur dismantled the CM’s claims point by point, calling for an end to public deception.
The Union Budget’s key highlight—the phasing out of Revenue Deficit Grants—affects all states uniformly, Thakur noted. It’s no Himachal-specific penalty but a Finance Commission-mandated reform. Sukhu’s repeated cries of central discrimination are baseless, he argued, as budgets serve national interests.
Reflecting on history, Thakur pointed out preparations for this shift dated back to the 12th Finance Commission era. His BJP government adeptly navigated the 14th Commission under PM Modi to bag Rs 40,000 crore— a quantum leap from Rs 7,800 crore earlier. The 15th Commission’s tapered allocations were a global post-COVID necessity.
Himachal led the nation in securing these grants thanks to robust representation, Thakur boasted. He contrasted this with Sukhu’s Congress government’s feeble efforts, questioning why peers like Karnataka succeeded where Himachal faltered.
Exposing internal warnings, Thakur revealed the finance secretary’s stark advice: end subsidies, freeze hirings, halt infrastructure, facing a Rs 7,000 crore void. Rather than owning the crisis, Sukhu scapegoats others, eroding public trust.
Under Thakur’s rule, every grant rupee fueled transformative initiatives: electrifying homes with pure water via Jal Jeevan Mission, uplifting families through welfare schemes, and building extensive road networks. Now, the elderly fear pension delays, workers salary uncertainties, and rural folk basic amenities.
Thakur challenged Sukhu to unveil a concrete plan for economic resilience. With fiscal discipline lax from prolonged Congress misrule, subsidies at risk, and internal rifts brewing, time’s running out. Himachal deserves facts, not fiction—will the CM step up?