Himachal Congress Govt completes one year in power

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government completed one year in the state today as the first-year celebration was held in Dharmshala today.

BJP also commented one year after the Congress Government as Akrosh Diwas(Anguish Day) a protest rally was held at Shimla which was addressed by former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

One year of the Sukhu regime saw many ups and downs and the Chief minister also fell ill earlier in the Monsoon season he 

look after the rescue and rehabilitation operation in the rain-dictated area.

Mr Sukhu was on the receiving end from the Opposition BJP and Union government at the center as according to the chief minister two discriminated the hill state in a hard time not announcing the relief package to Himachal Pradesh on the line of rain and natural calamity of BJP ruled Uttrakhand.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government completed the first guarantee of the Old Pension scheme to NPS employees however he could not complete another popular guarantee of Rs 1500 pension to all women in the state.

Congress government blamed the BJP Govt of Jai Ram Thakur for failing to complete the promise stating that the state coffer was empty when it took government a year ago. Mr Sukhu also expressed concern about the state of bankruptcy and the state being among the seven most debt-ridden in the country.

However leader of the opposition Jai Ram Thakur passed comments on the government that they should have no shame by befooling women on the second garruntee. He said that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi did not join the year celebration at Dharmshala as the two could not face state women.

Do women’s Rs 1500 pension scheme may harm the prospect of Congress in Lok Sabha political analysts says that it is unlikely as Congress didn’t give a guarantee of providing pension on the demand of women as the Modi Government in the center couldn’t fulfill two crore employment guarantee despite having ten years in the power.

Moreover, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu countered the BJP’s frequent demand of meeting the promise of pension by accusing the previous BJP government for indulging in whooping borrowing.

Mr Sukhu accepted that he had promised a Rs 1500 pension to women but given the mismanagement of state finances government could not do so immediately in the next five years it would consider its all garruntee one by one.

He stated that he had not only inherited a cumulative borrowing of Rs 75000Cr from his predecessor Jai Ram Thakur state government but he was passed the empty state coffer and burden of various accountability of running hundreds of Institution opened by previous BJP rule without parting sufficient financial expenditure. 

Mr Sukhu who also holds the portfolio of Finance not only passed the buck of borrowing done in nearly the first four months of the previous government. 

Replying to the statement given by him recently how could a loan tune to Rs 10800 Cr taken by his government attributed to previous BJP rule when Congress decided or took it in the last quarter of 2022-23. 

Mr. Sukhu justified Rs 4100 borrowing on account of the apathy of the Narendra Modi government towards Himachal Pradesh in the time of natural devastation in the Monsoon. 

Mr Sukhu States that the government has to share an extra burden of Rs 4500 cr for the rain relief package and government. Mr Sukhu’s government completed one year in the power to answer all the questions and showed indecisiveness on the part of the central leadership to induct more ministers. 

The chief minister also highlighted that it would succeed in bringing the state economy out of the troubled water of financial mess and a slew of efforts including liquor vending realized improvement in the state excise and the state would also write renew orders of imposing taxes and levies on the natural resources like water used for production power and curtailing significant wasteful expenditure.

It is clear that given the hostile relationship of the center with Congress governments or non-BJP rule, one year of Himachal Pradesh Government is not a cakewalk as it has to face several challenges that may have not been expected before coming to power.

The journey of the Sukhu government was like walking on a double-edged sword but the empty coffers it has tread through the tide and report card of Mr Sukhu’s government appears to be not bad but still full of empty promises which people hope could not be delivered.

It is a hard reality that his term begins with Sukh Asyrha but as soon government can come out with any other welfare schemes its bleeding coffer is burdened by disaster and the lack of expected support from the center its meagre resources were too short to announce any Rain package. The state suffered Rs 12000 Cr devastations but the government announced to increase the calamity relief by increasing it by 400 percent to affect people.

Given the political challenges Sukhu regime sailed through thick and thin in the troubled water however, the tempo always remained time full of enthusiasm, sometimes delusion but the death of 450 people in the tragic incident in monsoon is a hard reality.

Mr Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s couldn’t not able to control state bureaucracy, self-style police, and indisciplined political hands who dented the reputation of his government.

The glaring weakness is visible in the state government as it was rebuffed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court on various instances.

The Episode of scuffles among the police officers in jails threatening businessmen and fingers raised on the DGP. The downfall of the party in Solan MC despite having a majority and the role of cabinet ministers to handle the power equation.

 The ministers passed aspersion on each other and irresponsible actions by the political functionaries. The division between party and government are grey area which Chief minister should return soon before the party.

BJP leader Rajiv Bindal has recently accused the Chief Minister of presenting an incorrect picture of borrowing as the Chief minister stated on the public platform that his government had taken only a Rs 4100 Cr loan.

However Chief Minister put the ball in the court of Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP factions by accusing it of borrowing Rs 10800 Cr to pay the pending liabilities of BJP rule towards the state employees.

Mr Sukhu stated in a recent statement on finance that BJP passed a pending due of Rs 11000 cr on his government and he had taken Rs 10800 cr actually to pay the pending due of the previous government.

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said during a one-year rally today that He has covered 2.37 Cr women under Rs 1500 per month pension which includes all women of Lahaul Spiti district and others however rest have to wait for coming days. However, all rests on the Union government as the state government relies upon the central funds, especially in calamities relief packages.

The State Government has levied water cess on the power projects but the Central Government has opposed the same and matters are subjudice in Himachal Pradesh High Court. 

The people are keenly watching how the state government deals with the emergency-like situation and it would test the political weight of Mr Sukhu.

The issue is likely to figure in the upcoming Lok Sabha election the ruling party may target the center for not responding promptly in the testing time.