Shimla, February 19 Himachal Pradesh has received substantial financial support from the Centre since the Congress came to power in 2022, yet it continues to criticize it and the Prime Minister to divert public attention, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur said on Thursday.
Addressing reporters here, he said that after the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission, if the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) is discontinued, it is the responsibility of the present government to manage finances and take the state forward.
Citing Finance Commission data, Thakur said that during the UPA regime, the state received around Rs 18,000 crore under the 12th and 13th Finance Commissions, whereas under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the state received about Rs 89,254 crore under the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions, which was more than five times higher.
Blaming the Centre or previous governments for their failures cannot solve the problem, he said, adding that if the government is unable to handle the situation, it should admit it.
Referring to the recent assembly proceedings, Thakur said that discussion on the Motion of Thanks after the Governor's address is both a rule and a convention, but the government was determined to introduce a political resolution on RDG.
The Opposition participated in the debate and highlighted the failures of the government's three-year tenure with facts, he said.
Thakur alleged that during the chief minister's reply, several figures were presented incorrectly, and when the Opposition sought an opportunity to clarify them, permission was denied.
BJP MLAs were compelled to enter the well of the House in protest, he stated. Thakur said the chief minister has repeatedly admitted that the state may face increasing financial stress, may find it difficult to fulfil guarantees, continue development works, and meet salaries, pensions, and dearness allowance commitments.
The BJP leader claimed that there were contradictions in the chief minister's statements, and said that one day he claimed the state had taken Rs 23,000 crore in loans and repaid Rs 26,000 crore, while the next day he stated that Rs 35,400 crore had been borrowed and Rs 27,043 crore repaid.
In addition, in a written reply in the Assembly on August 26, 2025, the government stated that it had taken Rs 26,830 crore in loans and repaid Rs 8,253 crore.
For the Financial Year 2025-26, a provision of Rs 10,200 crore has been made for repayment of principal and interest. "How could the public trust such conflicting figures?" he said.
Thakur said claiming repayment of over Rs 19,000 crore within seven months appeared unrealistic, especially when such repayment provisions are not reflected in the budget.
He said that during the BJP's tenure, about Rs 40,672 crore was borrowed and approximately Rs 38,276 crore repaid, and the government had in its final still had borrowing capacity of about Rs 6,500 crore but chose not to utilise it.
He alleged that soon after assuming office, the current government took loans of about Rs 6,900 crore and attempted to attribute them to the previous BJP government.