Congress can't run Himachal govt even for one day without Centre's help: Nadda

SHIMLA: Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday alleged that the Congress cannot run the Himachal Pradesh government without the Centre's support even for a day.

Addressing a programme organised at Bilaspur by the Himachal Pradesh unit of BJP, Nadda said that every month the Centre gives Rs 500 crore as revenue deficit grant and Rs 800 crore for other grants which is used for payment of salaries and pension.

Claiming that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu speaks in "two languages", the BJP national president said, "In Himachal Pradesh and during elections, he says the state gets nothing from the Centre, while in Delhi, he expresses gratitude for the financial help and pleads for more."

"Congress cannot run a government in Himachal Pradesh even for one day without the help of the Centre but the state government has no account of where the money is being spent," he said.

Nadda said Sukhu "has broken all records" of previous Congress governments by not giving monthly salaries to state government employees on the first day of this September, terming it to be the "biggest disaster" of the current government.

Sharing figures of financial help to the state, Nadda said that the Union government gave Rs 1,190 crore in four installments for disaster relief, out of which Rs 378 crore was given this year. Rs 293 crores was given for five roads and Rs 1,516 were given under various central schemes, he said.

The Himachal Pradesh government is "100 per cent corrupt" as the help given by the central government is not reaching the people, the BJP chief said.

Sukhu government's "intellect and wisdom" are also "corrupt" as toilets are being taxed and such a government has no right to stay in power, the minister said.

He added, "Congress shamefully talks about restoring Article 370. PM Modi taught Pakistan a lesson by attacking them in their house while Congress on the other hand talks about trade and talks with Pakistan."

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Nadda said that senior Congress leader is defaming India abroad by talking about the country's internal matters.

Nadda also said Rahul Gandhi would end reservation, but he said that it would not be touched under the BJP.

Continuing his attack on the Congress, he said wherever the party exists, casteism, separatism and anti-national elements are present also there. Congress indulges in the politics of appeasement and nepotism.

The minister also claimed that in Congress-ruled states, drug addiction is rising. Drugs worth Rs 5,600 crore belonging to a Congress leader were seized recently, he said.

"Congress means corruption, criminalisation and commission," the BJP leader said.

The Congress government in the state was a "reverse-gear government", where all development work started by the previous BJP government have been stalled or stopped, Nadda said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed politics in the country as BJP is the only political party which can give a "report card" of its achievements.

Giving a "report card" of the 100 days of the Union government, the health minister said that six crore people have been linked with the Ayushman Bharat scheme that provides Rs 5 lakh health cover every year.

Approval for infrastructure projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore, 12 industrial smart cities, eight high-speed national road corridors and eight railway lines has been given by the central government, he said.

A total of 25,000 villages in the country would be linked with roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna, the minister said, adding that 93,000 houses would be constructed in the state under the PM Awas Yojna.

Nadda added, "The economic condition of America, China and Japan is deteriorating, but India is shining in the world. We have risen to become the fifth economy from 11th place and would soon become the third biggest economy in the next three years. As per the World Bank, India is growing at a fast pace."