Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Budget On the second day of the session, a fierce battle was seen between the ruling party and the opposition on the issue of Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG). On Tuesday (February 17), Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri reached the House with a copy of the Constitution in his hands.
Making a sharp attack on the opposition, he said that RDG is not a begging, but a right given to Himachal by the Constitution. At the same time, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur hit back and accused the government of giving political color to this issue.
Agnihotri’s argument: Question of RDG Himachaliyat
During the discussion, the Deputy CM showed the Constitution and said that the makers had given this right to the hill states with foresight. He said, “RDG is not just an economic issue, but a question of the existence of Himachal and Himachaliyat. Those who earlier used to raise slogans of ‘kill the state hood,’ are the same ones who are opposing it today.”
Presenting the figures, Agnihotri said that the dependence on RDG of big states like Karnataka is only 1%, whereas that of Nagaland is 17% and Himachal is 13%. Big states benefited from GST, but special category states like Himachal suffered losses. He accused Jairam Thakur of going to Delhi and stopping Himachal’s money.
Jairam’s counterattack: Keep the facts or apologize
Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur rejected the allegations outright and said that if the Deputy CM has any evidence of stopping the money from Delhi, then put it on the table, otherwise it becomes a case of Privilege Motion. He said that BJP is talking to the Center at its level, but the Sukhu government only wants to fight a political battle.
Taunt on CM and Deputy CM contesting elections
Taking a dig at the stability of the government, Jairam Thakur said that the sound of elections has started. The situation is such that Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu is looking for a safe seat to contest the elections. He wants to contest from his wife’s assembly constituency, but his wife is also adamant on contesting elections there. At the same time, the Deputy CM himself has said that he does not feel like contesting elections now. Jairam claimed that when the elections come, many Congress MLAs will leave the field.