Shimla, March 18 The BJP finds joy in working when in power, while Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu finds it in obstruction, Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur said on Wednesday.
Speaking during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor's Address, Thakur said that when the BJP was in power, it established institutions keeping public demand and geographical conditions in mind.
However, Sukhu allegedly shut down 2,000 government institutions upon assuming office.
The governor delivered his address on the first day of the first phase of the Budget Session on February 16.
Meanwhile, Thakur alleged that Sukhu did not spare health schemes like Himcare and Sahara and brought them to a standstill.
He said that under the Mahila Samman Nidhi scheme, the government released only one instalment to 35,500 women, against a promise of a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to all women aged between 18 and 59.
Thakur also accused the chief minister of misleading the House by claiming that the money pending under the MLA Area Development Fund would be released shortly, which is yet to be done.
He said that even after four years in his government, Sukhu was hard put to list even four of his achievements, and that is why in his address he devoted all 14 pages solely to criticising the Centre.
Responding to the allegations, Sukhu said the BJP was attempting to win elections by relying on the governor, whose office must be above the realm of politics.
The chief minister said that the previous BJP government received Rs 70,000 crore from the Centre in the form of Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) and GST compensation, yet it made no effort to reduce the state's debt.
On the contrary, when the BJP demitted office, it left the state saddled with a debt of Rs 76,000 crore, Sukhu said.
He asserted that the RDG is a rightful entitlement of the people of Himachal, yet the BJP offered no assistance in securing its restoration.
Sukhu also provided details of the beneficiaries of the Himcare and Sahara schemes during the tenures of both the previous and the current governments.
Earlier, moving the Motion of Thanks on the Governor's Address, Congress MLA Suresh Kumar said that over the past three years, the Congress government had had to contend with a triple-whammy of disasters: natural, political, and economic.
Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore said that the Centre's decision to discontinue the RDG constituted a deliberate attempt to strangle the incumbent government.
Congress MLA Sudarshan Bablu asserted that the BJP was not serious about safeguarding the state's interests, which is why it did not oppose the discontinuation of the RDG.
BJP MLA Prakash Rana argued that Himachal Pradesh cannot perpetually rely on the Centre for the RDG and must stand on its feet.