Congress govt in Himachal failed to utilise funds sent by Centre: Nadda alleges merrymaking mindset

Shimla, Dec 13 (PTI) BJP chief J P Nadda on Saturday alleged that the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has failed to utilise the funds allocated by the Centre and therefore has no right to remain in power, accusing the state administration of functioning with a carefree mindset.

"Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is working with a mindset of "Khao Piya Mauj karo, aage kisne dekha hai (indulge in merry making, who has seen the future)," he said and stressed that "double engine government is the only way to ensure development of the state".

Addressing an event here, Nadda accused the state government of corruption and misutilisation of funds given by the Centre under various heads, including building of houses, repair of roads and smart city.

Refuting the allegations of the Congress government that the Centre is not giving enough funds to the state, Nadda claimed, "Rs 3,789 crore were given for disaster relief, over Rs 1,000 crore for Smart Cities besides funds for Vibrant Village development, medical colleges, AIIMS Bilaspur, a bulk drug park, four-lane highways and developed Baddi as a pharmaceutical hub in the state yet the Congress continues to spread falsehoods and mislead the innocent people of Himachal." Targeting the Sukhu-led government for its incompetence, he claimed that the Centre has sent over Rs 2,000 crore as special assistance and approved Rs 1,442 crore under JICA funding, but the Congress government utilised only about 50 per cent of the funds in several schemes.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, Nadda said that Himachal's treasury is frequently shut, the entire administration runs on ad-hoc arrangements with the chief secretary and director general of police working on additional charge and there is no coordination between the chief minister and his ministers.

The Congress government has not brought even a single concrete project to the Centre, he said, and called upon BJP workers to take these facts and truths to every village and town, so that the "people of Himachal can free themselves from Congress misrule" and move decisively towards development and good governance.

"Victory of the NDA in recent Bihar Assembly polls has sent a clear message that people who want to run the country with the help of the intruders would not be accepted", said Nadda and asserted that the BJP would form government in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Nadda alleged that "earlier the government used to come to power with the support of all but used to be limited to a particular caste, segment and religion, but 11 years back Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the political scenario of the country by becoming the 'Pradhan Sevak' of the nation and moved from Rajpath to Kartavya Path." He recalled that during the previous state Assembly elections, he had warned the people against making the mistake of bringing the Congress to power, asserting that Himachal Pradesh’s development is possible only under a "double-engine government".

He said the "BJP government is a performance (report-card) based government, what it promised, it delivered and in contrast, the UPA politics revolved around casteism, appeasement and nepotism, while BJP politics is rooted in accountability and good governance." Citing recent electoral outcomes, Nadda said in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Congress had already ordered sweets and prepared for celebrations, but people voted for a responsible government under the leadership of Modi.

Nadda said all political parties other than the BJP are immersed in the pursuit of power and suffer from ideological emptiness, while the BJP works with the motto of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas".

The BJP president said that the Congress undermined Vande Mataram and the very spirit of India's freedom struggle, whereas the BJP practises politics aimed at taking the nation forward.

Highlighting India's transformation under Modi, Nadda said India has become the world's fourth-largest economy. Over 160 new airports have been built, and 'Made in India' now dominates mobile manufacturing and 'Ayushman Bharat' has benefited more than 62 crore people.

Nadda also reiterated the achievements of the central government, including the abolition of 'Triple talaq', section 370 and the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

He said this gathering was not merely a political event, but an occasion to reaffirm the collective resolve for nation-building.

State BJP president Rajiv Bindal said that Congress was reduced to only six seats in Bihar, which is proof of its declining credibility and claimed that the same situation will prevail in the upcoming 2027 Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, where the Congress will not even reach double digits and will be reduced to only two seats.

Bindal said, "BJP workers and the people of the state have resolved to oust this anti-people Congress government and symbolically indicated that the bow and arrow have been handed over to Nadda and his aim is unerring." PTI BPL APL APL