Himachal Congress hits out at BJP over RDG ‘betrayal’

Deputy Chief Whip of the Congress party in the Himachal Vidhan Sabha and Shahpur MLA Kewal Singh Pathania on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), accusing it of betraying the interests of the hill state by endorsing what he termed a unilateral decision of the Union government.

Addressing mediapersons in Dharamsala, Pathania said Article 275(1) of the Constitution empowered Parliament to provide grants-in-aid from the Consolidated Fund of India to states requiring financial assistance. He maintained that stopping RDG to Himachal was unconstitutional and against the spirit of cooperative federalism.

He alleged that by opposing the state government’s resolution moved under Rule 102 during the recent Assembly session seeking restoration of RDG, the BJP had exposed its “true face” before the people. He questioned BJP leaders for failing to clarify their stand and asked whether the party supported the discontinuation of the grant.

“The people of Himachal want to know if the BJP is in favour of stopping RDG. Why has its stance changed within a few months?” he asked. He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had earlier not supported a resolution seeking special financial assistance for disaster-affected people in the state.

Referring to the tenure of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Pathania said when the BJP was in power, it had strongly argued before successive Finance Commissions for RDG, citing the state’s limited resources and difficult geographical conditions. He claimed that during that period, Himachal had received Rs 56,000 crore as RDG, in addition to Rs 14,000 crore as GST compensation, without any objection from the BJP.

“Why are they opposing RDG now? Is it because the Congress is in power in Himachal?” he asked.

Pathania further alleged that in its attempt to corner the Congress government, the BJP leadership was ignoring the state’s larger interests. He said portraying Central scheme funds as special assistance was misleading, as those funds were the legitimate entitlement of the state.

Highlighting the state government’s financial measures, he claimed that through effective resource mobilisation, Himachal had generated Rs 26,683 crore in revenue over the past three years. He added that efforts were underway to secure 12 per cent free power royalty in projects of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), ensure the state’s permanent membership in the Board and recover around Rs 6,500 crore outstanding from the BBMB in line with Supreme Court directions.

The Congress leader reiterated that reinstatement of RDG was crucial for maintaining the financial stability of the hill state and urged the BJP to clarify its position in the larger interest of Himachal.