Shimla, March 25 The BJP walked out of the Assembly on Wednesday, raising slogans after a heated exchange following Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's response to the 2026-27 budget.
The general discussion on the budget estimates for the financial year 2026-27 in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha concluded with the chief minister's response, who asserted that the government had not concealed anything in the budget.
Sukhu claimed that in previous budgets, amounts ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore were often shown as allocated to various schemes, even though such funds were, in reality, not available.
He said the previous BJP government received approximately Rs 70,000 crore in the form of Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) and GST, yet it left the state burdened with a debt of nearly Rs 76,000 crore.
Sukhu said the BJP left the state in a dire financial situation, similar to that in Sri Lanka.
He said an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Himcare scheme has led to heated exchanges between Congress and BJP MLAs.
Earlier in the day, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi's remarks caused uproar in the House, prompting Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to remove some of his remarks from the official records of the proceedings.
Negi alleged that the Centre is trying to cause financial harm to Himachal Pradesh, citing the 16th Finance Commission's decision to discontinue the RDG as an example.
MLA Satpal Singh Satti objected to the remarks and warned him against using such rhetoric.
Opposing the reduction in the MLA Local Area Development Fund, he argued that the very fund is used to implement small-scale development projects.
He also alleged that law and order is in shambles in the state, corruption is rising, and the activities of land and forest mafias are increasing.
BJP MLA Anil Sharma, referring to the government's electoral guarantees, suggested that the administration should at least remove the hoardings displayed along roadsides, which promise the creation of one lakh jobs annually.
Congress MLA Anuradha Rana raised the issue of the discontinuation of the RDG, which, she said, had been established only after careful deliberation.
She claimed that the state had yet to receive the Rs 1,500 crore pledged by the prime minister in relief after last year's monsoon disaster.