BJP walks out of Revenue Deficit Grant Meeting in Shimla citing Financial Failures
Shimla witnessed high drama on Friday as the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) ignited a political clash. The Himachal Pradesh government had called an all-party meeting to discuss the state’s financial challenges, but the BJP staged a walkout, accusing the ruling Congress of shifting blame onto the Centre.
The meeting followed the 16th Finance Commission’s recommendation to phase out the RDG—a move accepted by the Government of India. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu criticized the BJP for adopting a confrontational stance instead of cooperating during a time of financial strain. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan echoed this sentiment, saying the opposition attended only to disrupt.
On the other hand, BJP leaders argued that the Congress government had failed to prepare for the inevitable end of the grant, despite clear signals from earlier Finance Commissions. Dr. Rajeev Bindal highlighted that Himachal Pradesh had received substantial central assistance in recent years, including thousands of crores for infrastructure projects, and insisted that fiscal planning should have been stronger.
The BJP delegation also objected to what it described as inappropriate language directed at the Centre and the Prime Minister, walking out midway in protest. While the party maintained it was open to constructive dialogue, it accused the Congress of misleading the public by portraying the RDG issue as a sudden crisis.
