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The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday strongly opposed the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes a levy in the form of a "widow and orphan cess", with Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur launching a scathing attack on the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government and terming its budget as "a bundle of lies designed to mislead the state".
Initiating discussion in the Assembly, Thakur criticised both the proposed cess and the overall budgetary framework, alleging that the government was attempting to raise funds under the garb of welfare. "The current reality is that, in order to sustain its administration, the government is now raising funds in the name of widows and orphans; this money is being collected solely to keep the government running," he said. Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, Thakur remarked, "I have had the privilege of witnessing the presentation of 29 budgets in this House; five of which I presented myself in my capacity as Finance Minister. However, nothing quite like what transpired this time has ever occurred during a budget session before; several established traditions were broken. The first such breach of tradition was that the Chief Minister did not arrive in an Alto car this time; he abandoned the very vehicle that he used to cite as a symbol of the budget being dedicated to the common people." Terming the budget "lacklustre", he added, "There is absolutely nothing of substance in this budget" and criticised its staggered presentation. While the size of a budget typically grows globally every year, the Sukhu government's current budget remains stagnant, equivalent to what it was three years ago. The budgets allocated to key sectors are facing continuous cuts," Thakur said. Speaking to the media later, the former Chief Minister alleged that most schemes announced by the government lacked adequate financial backing. "Not a single scheme announced over the last three years has been fully implemented. Dozens of schemes declared in the budgets of the past three years have failed to materialise on the ground. This budget offers absolutely nothing for the state," he said. Raising concerns over employment, Thakur stated that job opportunities in the state are shrinking. "In just three years, the total number of jobs has declined by 15,000. While the statistics regarding the Sukhu government's 'system change' clearly expose the administration's reality, the Chief Minister continues to persist in making false claims," he added. He also countered the state government's criticism of the Centre, stating that central support remains substantial. "Over the last three years, the Centre's share in the state's revenue receipts has stood at 56%, 54%, and 53.6%, respectively. Even following the discontinuation of the RDG scheme, there has been no significant reduction in support," he said. Highlighting additional assistance, Thakur noted that the Central Government had provided Rs 1,500 crore, Rs 2,400 crore and Rs 3,400 crore over the past three years, totalling Rs 7,300 crore, to bridge the fiscal gap. Questioning the government's financial management, he said, "How can the government even contemplate a freeze on salaries? Under Article 360 of the Constitution, salary cuts can be implemented only in the event of a financial emergency." Thakur further alleged a regional imbalance in development. "Development appears to be confined solely to the Nadaun and Dehra regions, a point that has, in fact, already been acknowledged by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly within the House," he said. (ANI)
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