Shimla, February 19 Two Himachal Pradesh ministers on Thursday criticized Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur over the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant and said the BJP's real stance on the issue has now been exposed to the people of the state.
In a joint statement, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani said that the same BJP leaders who were now opposing the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) had earlier argued before the 15th and 16th Finance Commissions that the state deserved the grant, citing limited finances and challenging geographical conditions.
The ministers questioned, "Why did Jai Ram Thakur's position appear to have changed within a matter of months?"
They also asked Thakur to clarify to the people why he and his party are now acting against the interests of Himachal Pradesh.
"The BJP has become so focused on opposing the Congress government that it has lost sight of the state's welfare," they said.
They also criticized BJP leaders for portraying funds received under central schemes as financial aid, arguing that such funds are the rightful entitlement of the state's people and not special favors.
The ministers said these explanations are unconvincing and will not be accepted by the public.
The 16th Finance Commission discontinued the RDG for Himachal Pradesh, effective from the 2026-27 financial year, earlier this month.
According to the state government, Himachal was receiving RDG under Articles 275 and 280 of the Constitution from the 5th to the 15th Finance Commissions. However, following recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission, the Centre has discontinued this grant from the next financial year, leading to an economic crisis in the state, it said.
On Wednesday, the Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a resolution to restore the RDG even as the opposition BJP vehemently opposed the move, storming the well of the House and raising slogans.
The people of Himachal Pradesh deserve to know whether the BJP supports discontinuing the grant, the Congress ministers said on Thursday.
They claimed that when Thakur was the chief minister, Himachal Pradesh received Rs 56,000 crore in RDG, in addition to Rs 14,000 crore in GST compensation.
"We want to ask him (Thakur) why the grant is now being opposed," the ministers said.
"Is BJP's change in stance simply because a Congress government is currently in power?" they questioned.
