BJP turns the heat ahead of winter session

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 25

Just ahead of the winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, the Opposition BJP party launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, alleging that the Congress government has pushed Himachal Pradesh into “a mountain of corruption” and “crippled development during its three-year tenure”.

Senior BJP leader, former Industry Minister and MLA from Jaswan-Pragpur assembly constituency, Bikram Thakur, said that the previous BJP government had strengthened investment and industrial growth by organising a Global Investor Meet in 2019 and offering customised incentives in agriculture, defence, pharmaceuticals and green energy sectors. In contrast, he alleged, the present Congress-led government has failed to organise even a single investor meet, while the single-window clearance system introduced for giving nod to set up industries was also not functioning properly, adding miseries to the investors.

He accused the Sukhu administration of facilitating large-scale corruption through ‘illegal’ land-use changes (CLU) in industrial hubs like Baddi, Barotiwala, Nalagarh and Paonta Sahib. The CLUs granted in 150-bighas of land in Nalagarh needs a vigilance probe, the BJP leader said while questioning how these CLU approvals were granted without mandatory scrutiny. “Industries are being driven away while land is being sold for other commercial interests,” he added.

The former minister also levelled allegations of irregularities in outsourcing of employees through Himachal Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation Limited, claiming that certain favoured private firms had received contracts in violation of norms and despite High Court restrictions. He accused the government of exploiting unemployed youth by channelling crores of rupees through private companies.

He also demanded vigilance probe into allotment of tenders of Rs 250 crore Bulk Drug Park and Rs 150 crore procurements in the education department.

Bikram Thakur further lashed out at the flawed excise policy of the state, which according to him has incurred monetary losses to the forest corporation as well as the contractors.