The Opposition Congress criticised the roll-back of some of the decisions of the previous government by the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, soon after coming to power.

Initiating a debate on motion of thanks on the Governor’s address, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Mukesh Agnihotri on the third day of the first session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday said that the government should function in continuity and should not work with reprisal.

Questioning the urgency of cabinet’s approval to exclude Shri Ragunath Temple, Sultanpur in Kullu district from Schedule- I of Hindu Public Religious Institution and Charitable Endowment Act, 1984, Agnihotri said the case was sub-judicious.

He advised the state government to adopt a positive attitude and take right decisions.The government has two ways to adopt one, is the path of development and the other to work with vengeance and now it is up to the government to decide the path.

The BJP has come to power this time, however, in 2022 the Congress will wrest the power, he added. He criticised the BJP government for the hurry in transfers in bureaucracy and also police department.

Agnihotri sought to know the action plan of the government to provide employment to about 12.50 lakh unemployed youth in the state. The government had stopped the unemployment allowance for the youth, that was earlier provided by the previous Congress government and had even ridiculed it.

Even the Congress had faced financial debt, burden, when it had then come to power, he said, adding that unlike the BJP government, Congres had never cribbed for paucity of finances and had spent maximum on development.

Vehemently placing before the house the issue of poor health services in the state, sans the latest machinery and equipment, shortage of specialist in the hospitals across the state, BJP legislator from NurpurRakeshPathania stressed the need for taking strict action against the rampant mining mafia particularly in the Nurpur tehsil of Kangra.

Communist Party of India (CPIM) legislator from Theog, Rakesh Singha raised the issue of the farmer distress in the faced with the problem encroachment, persisting law and order problem in the state in the backdrop of ‘Gudia’ case wherein a 16-year-old girl was gang raped and murdered and the alleged mishandling of the case by the police.