2024-took-hp-govt-out-of-political-storm-bjp-s-numbers-rose

Even as the year 2024 brought a political storm for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh and ultimately gave it the required stability to perform, the Sukhu government is yet to demonstrate ‘prudence’ in its quest for ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’ (change of system) in the hill state after two years of rule. 

 

The Congress government, which won six out of nine by-polls, facilitated by the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs and resignation by three Independent MLAs earlier this year, got back its original number to 40 in the Assembly of 68 by mid of this year. The BJP rose from 25 to 28, getting a strong base to play on the front foot against the government as an opposition party, although it is a different matter that the fight within state BJP for supremacy was evident all through.  

 

While the Congress government brought many innovative schemes aiming to empower the farmers economically with a sustainable agriculture approach and did well on the welfare concept for the marginalised sections in the state, it is yet to take care of the expectation of the party men, who have not been accommodated in the government after two years, much to their dismay. Various sections of people, especially those who were looking to the government for employment, have also been left in the lurch.

 

Congress leader, Priyanka Gandhi announced the poll guarantee of giving one lakh jobs to the youth in the first cabinet and 5 lakh jobs in five years as a main poll guarantee of the Congress party in the 2022 Assembly elections. But on coming into power, the Congress government, citing the financial crisis, abolished 1.5 lakh government jobs lying vacant for 2 years, with no focus, whatsoever, on employment.

 

It is pertinent to mention that educated youth in Himachal Pradesh is heavily dependent on the government for jobs, with not much opening in the private sector. At present, the number of government employees is over 2.5 lakh in Himachal Pradesh, and a good number of people are engaged in outsourcing by the government.  

 

The Congress government could not satisfy the employees also, who are in formidable numbers despite implementing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), as it was non-committal on the payment of due Dearness Allowance and Arrears to the government and as the year progressed towards the end, the government brought legislation to deny all kinds of benefits to the contract employees retrospectively from 2003 to circumvent the court order in this regard.  

 

The legislation passed in the state Assembly despite BJP raising serious concerns over it, is yet to get the Governor’s approval, however, a large number of contract employees affected by it in their pension and seniority benefits are likely to approach the court again on the issue.  

 

The doctors and vets seeking government jobs are already cribbing as the first thing that the present government withdrew the Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) from their salaries on priority in the first few months of its rule in 2023. This is despite the fact that NPA is given to the government doctors and vets as per Central rules and all such docs across the country are getting it. Not only this, the ruling party, which promised regular jobs not outsourcing, is now recruiting even the doctors on outsource basis on minimal salaries.  

 

More so, the Sukhu government got defamed in the entire country in September 2024, when it delayed the salaries of government employees by four days, initially saying there was a financial crunch and then holding that it was a part of ‘financial management’. There were not many takers for this argument. 

 

The state is reeling under a debt of over ₹90,000 crore, and the present government has taken a loan of ₹28,000 crore loan in two years (as disclosed by the Chief Minister himself), out of which it had to repay ₹11,000 crore as interest on previous loans. The general perception is that if the government is facing a financial crunch, it should go for some austerity measures for the politicians, bureaucrats, and other high-ups also in routine functioning, which it has not done.  

 

The Congress government is also in for criticism for lifting the subsidy on electricity bills of all Income Tax payees, Class I and II officers, a provision that existed for a long. This government, which gave a poll guarantee of giving 300 electricity units free to all the consumers, initially withdrew the 120 free units provided by the previous BJP government to all the consumers, hiked the unit charges, and then decided to withdraw the subsidy also.  

 

“We are not against withdrawing the subsidy. But why did the political party lie to add more to the free electricity units as a poll guarantee? Is it not about fooling people just to come to power? Shouldn’t any political party do its homework on whether the state can afford their poll guarantee, given the financial situation or not,” said some retired officers, adding that administratively it was a bad decision to withdraw the already given facility.   

 

They said ‘welfare’ measures are to be taken for the marginalised sections of society and this government has taken good steps in this regard, yet it is the duty of every government to take care of the overall development of all the sections, where it is lagging.  

 

“Overall governance needs improvement. The administrative acumen is missing. The government is making a mockery of the system every now and then, just to stick to its slogan of ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’. Notifications are issued and then withdrawn. Decisions like toilet tax are being taken. It’s ridiculous. All sections are feeling harassed. The unemployed youth is feeling suffocated under Congress rule in HP,” said Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur. 

 

He said it was for the first time that a prestigious property like Himachal Bhawan was attached by the court in a case of laxity by the government.

 

“The state government, which talks about the financial crisis every day, could spend ₹8 crore in a day for hiring top advocates to save the chair of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, although in vain so far, and ₹25 crore in a few hours for celebrating two years of government. This is a contradictory approach where just the common man is being subject to harsh decisions in the name of financial crunch,” he said.