Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state is passing through a financial crisis and BJP is solely responsible for it.

He said this in the Assembly on Tuesday, in response to the Opposition raising the issue of the MLA Area Development Fund.

Sukhu said that the Congress Government is bringing a white paper in the budget session on the poor economic condition of the state.

He said that at present every person in the state has a debt of about one lakh rupees.

“After taking over the power, our government assessed the economic condition of the state and found that in the last year of its tenure, the previous government had opened 920 institutions without a budget,” he said.

“We have both responsibility and duty towards the public, but when we don’t perform, situations like the current economic crisis arise,” he said.

The chief minister said that his government has not closed the MLA Area Development Fund, but has stopped it.

He reasoned that the previous government had implemented the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, but did not pay arrears of Rs 11,000 crore to the employees. Not only this, even the DA installment of Rs 992 crore is also pending.

He said that according to the current economic conditions of the state, it has become necessary to take decisions and adopt financial discipline.

The chief minister termed the opposition’s protest staging a walkout as unfortunate.

He said that if the state’s income is good in the fourth quarter of the current financial year, the government will consider restoring this fund.

Sukhu defended providing subsidized residential facilities to employees and officers in Chandigarh and Delhi and said that these people go there only for government work. He criticized Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur for making remarks regarding the employees and officers.

Sukhu said that bringing an adjournment motion regarding MLA’s constituency development fund is proof that the BJP is suffering while sitting in the opposition and these people are not able to go to their constituencies because they have made false promises.