Centre conspiring to financially choke Himachal govt, says Mukesh Agnihotri

Our Correspondent

UNA, APRIL 21

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today charged that the Union government was conspiring against the Congress government in Himachal to weaken it financially so that it ultimately crumbles.

‘Slowed down pace of development’

• Agnihotri said the Centre had decreased the credit limit of Himachal Pradesh to slow down the pace of development.
• The compensation on the GST had been shut down completely.
• All this was done besides the denial by the Centre to provide any relief package to the state during the disaster last monsoon

Addressing media persons here, he said this was being done from the day the BJP lost the 2022 elections, adding that the BJP’s intentions of a short cut to grab power in the state was proved right during Operation Lotus Phase-1 when six Congress MLAs were lured into changing loyalties and the BJP offered party tickets to all of them for the Assembly byelections.

Agnihotri said the Centre had decreased the credit limit of Himachal Pradesh with mala fide intentions so as to slow down the pace of development here and to bring about a financial crisis. He said next, the compensation on GST had been shut down completely and a significant reduction in revenue deficit has also been slapped on the state by the Centre to choke the Congress government.

The Dy CM said all this was besides the denial of the Centre to provide any relief package to the state during the disaster last monsoon, in which precious lives besides property worth thousands of crores was lost.

Agnihotri further charged that the state government’s share in the old pension scheme, amounting to Rs 9000 crore, was lying with the Centre and was not being released to the state on the plea that the amount had been invested in some other activity. He questioned how a state’s legitimate share can be invested elsewhere by the Centre.

Agnihotri said the BJP leaders are talking of Operation Lotus Phase-2, which they claim will begin right after the general elections. He said that BJP, which claimed to be the largest political party in the world, could not find six people from their own party to contest the by-elections and all Congress rebels were fielded by the BJP for by-elections. The move, he said has deeply annoyed the BJP cadre and the voters.

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