Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 21 : The Himachal Pradesh Assembly's budget session began on a stormy note, with the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP clashing over the issue of educational and administrative institutions in the state.
The debate, which started during question hour, quickly escalated into a heated exchange between both sides.
BJP MLA Randhir Sharma triggered the discussion by questioning the government on the number of new institutions opened since January 2025, the number of posts created, and whether adequate budgetary provisions had been made.
BJP MLA Randhir Sharma triggered the discussion by questioning the government on the number of new institutions opened since January 2025, the number of posts created, and whether adequate budgetary provisions had been made.
Responding to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's absence, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri stated that data up to January 2024 had already been placed before the House. However, he added that comprehensive details for 2025 would take time to compile.
Agnihotri countered the BJP by alleging that the previous BJP-led government had opened numerous institutions without budgetary provisions, solely for electoral gains.
"The Congress government is prioritising the state's welfare and establishing institutions judiciously. A rationalisation process is being adopted across various departments, be it education or rural development," he said.
He further informed the House that the Congress government had opened 35 institutions in its first year and would continue to do so as necessary.
BJP MLA Randhir Sharma strongly criticised the Congress government for shutting down institutions that the previous BJP government had opened. He demanded clarity on how many institutions had been denotified, how many were later reopened, and the criteria followed for these decisions.
In response, Agnihotri reiterated that the BJP had set up institutions in a haphazard manner without ensuring financial viability. "The Congress government will open institutions prudently, with proper budget allocations and the necessary resources," Agnihotri said in the Assembly.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur accused the Congress government of acting with political vendetta.
"Since Himachal Pradesh was formed, no government has ever taken such a politically motivated decision. The Congress government was sworn in on December 11, and by December 13, 2022. when even the cabinet had not been formed, orders were issued to shut down institutions established by the BJP government," he alleged.
"If the Congress government had conducted a proper review and then decided to close institutions, it would have been understandable. But shutting them down mindlessly, only to reopen some later under a different name, is sheer political revenge. This is the most absurd decision in a democratic system," said Thakur.
Thakur claimed that institutions that had been functional for six to eight months were abruptly shut down without any assessment.
"For instance, an IPS division that we had established in Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's constituency was denotified and later reopened under a different name. This clearly shows that our institutions were closed only for political reasons," he alleged.
He warned that when the BJP returns to power, it will conduct a thorough review of the past five years and hold the Congress government accountable for its decisions.