Shimla: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused the Himachal Pradesh Congress government of trying to shift blame for the state’s financial challenges onto the Centre, asserting that “political narrative-building cannot replace financial accountability.”
The remarks were made during an all-party meeting convened at Hotel Peterhoff in Shimla to discuss the financial situation arising after the discontinuation of Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG). The BJP delegation included state president Dr. Rajeev Bindal, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, MLAs Randhir Sharma, Vinod Kumar, Balbir Verma, Trilok Jamwal and state media in-charge Karn Nanda.
Addressing the meeting, Dr. Bindal said that Himachal Pradesh’s development is a shared responsibility of all political parties and accused the Congress government of attempting to blame the Centre despite being in power with a full majority for nearly 40 months. He termed it a “planned political effort” to deflect attention from financial mismanagement.
He clarified that the phasing out of the Revenue Deficit Grant was not a sudden decision but was clearly recommended by the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions, which had specified that the grant would be gradually reduced and eventually discontinued. Presenting it as a fresh crisis, he said, was misleading. The state government, he added, should have worked on alternative resource mobilization, expenditure control and revenue enhancement well in advance.
Dr. Bindal presented figures claiming that the Centre had extended substantial financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh over the past three years. According to him, the state received approximately ₹50,000 crore in 2022–23, ₹43,000 crore in 2023–24 and over ₹35,000 crore in 2024–25/2025–26 through tax devolution, centrally sponsored schemes (CSS), World Bank support, NABARD funding, PMGSY and other infrastructure heads.
He further stated that National Highway projects worth over ₹44,000 crore are currently underway in the state, significantly higher than during previous Congress regimes. Railway expansion projects have also received approvals worth thousands of crores, alongside investments in tunnels, four-laning, bridges and all-weather connectivity projects, which he said have transformed the state’s infrastructure landscape.
On industrial development, Dr. Bindal credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s industrial package for laying the foundation of Himachal’s industrial growth. He also referred to the Bulk Drug Park project as a major initiative backed by the Centre and said continued criticism of such projects undermines the state’s industrial future.
He maintained that tax devolution to states has been consistently increasing and that higher GST collections and central tax shares are strengthening state finances. Allegations of discrimination by the Centre, he said, are not supported by facts.
During the meeting, the BJP delegation objected to what it described as objectionable and inappropriate language used by some speakers against the Central government and the Prime Minister. Stating that political differences are part of democracy but decorum must be maintained, the BJP staged a walkout in protest.
The party reiterated that it remains open to constructive discussions aimed at improving the state’s financial condition but warned that “one-sided allegations and politically motivated narratives” would not lead to solutions.
