Former BJP Chief and Shimla MLA, Suresh Bhardwaj on Thursday accused the Congress government of meting injustice to state capital Shimla in all spheres of development.

Participating in the debate on budget proposals for 2017-18 in the state assembly, Bhardwaj, who is also the chief whip of BJP legislature party, lashed out at the government for first ignoring Shimla and bringing Dharamshala in the smart city project of Government of India based on fudged calculations, and then deciding to have second capital at Dharamshala.

"The chief minister is doing all this to pamper just one minister,” he said.

The senior BJP leader said Shimla was picked up as the summer capital of the Britishers after survey of hill stations in the country then and Shimla was always kept the state capital of Himachal, even at the time of reorganisation of states.

“However, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has been trying to play politics now by notifying Dharamshala as second capital. All this, when the government has not been able to provide proper systems at Shimla,” Bhardwaj said.

The BJP leader remarked that Virbhadra Singh had earlier tried to gain political mileage in Kangra by having second Vidhan Sabha building in Dharamshala in vain.

“The government will not benefit out of the gimmick of second capital also. The people want development, which is not taking place. The people of Kangra already know that the Congress party has never let the leadership go to lower areas of Himachal. It is BJP, which had chief ministers from lower areas, whether Shanta Kumar or Prem Kumar Dhumal,” he said.

Bhardwaj attacked the Health minister Kaul Singh Thakur for ignoring the development of premier Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla and taking the Medical University to Mandi.

The BJP leader criticised the government for having failed to ensure smooth systems during the snowfall in Shimla on January 6 and 7, 2017 wherein people of Shimla were made to live without power for a week and water for even a longer time. He said the residents of Shimla were supplied sewer mixed water for drinking last year, which led to spread of jaundice and resulted in more than 20 deaths. He dismissed the budget as a mere statement of hollow announcements.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Congress MLA from Rampur Nand Lal appreciated the CM for his prudent financial management.