'Himachal govt takes loans, gives it to Sonia Gandhi': Kangana Ranaut targets CM Sukhu amid financial crisis

BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Sunday criticized the Himachal Pradesh government, alleging that it takes loans and gives them to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which she claimed has depleted the state's finances.

Speaking at a BJP membership drive, Ranaut said that corruption is rampant, particularly in Congress-led state governments, and accused the current administration under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of taking loans for Sonia Gandhi. 

She claimed, "Disasters and the Congress government have set the state back by decades," and called on people to remove the current government. Alleging mismanagement of disaster funds, she stated, "If we give disaster funds, it should go to the CM Relief Fund, but everyone knows that it goes to the Sonia Relief Fund."

Ranaut also targeted Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, stating that despite people being "tired of potholes on roads," he has done little to address the issue. She pledged to improve her constituency and urged people to join the BJP in large numbers. 

The BJP MP also pointed to the state's financial struggles, including delayed salaries and pensions, and the loss of free electricity and water benefits, as evidence of Congress mismanagement. She also claimed that sports facilities in primary schools were being cut, which she described as a "conspiracy" against the future of Himachal’s children, and promised to develop a sports complex in Mandi.

Himachal is currently in the middle of crisis due to rising revenue expenditure. The BJP has blamed Chief Minister Sukhu for the current crisis. Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur recently said that the situation was so grave that only 28 per cent budget was available for development against 39.56 per cent in 2017-18. He said 40 per cent of the budget was being spent on salaries and pension which was only 27 per cent in 2017-18.

The former chief minister said that the debt burden was Rs 48,000 crore when the BJP assumed power in 2017 and it raised a loan worth Rs 19,600 crore during the five years. The loan limit of Rs 6000 crore was remaining but the present government is "going to set a record by breaching the Rs 1 lakh crore loan mark," he said.