Randhir Sharma blames Sukhu for Himachal’s economic crisis, criticises inaction on mosque dispute

Shimla, September 19: Senior BJP leader and MLA Randhir Sharma criticised Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and held him responsible for the state’s deteriorating financial condition and not handling the recent mosque dispute properly. Sharma accused the state government of failing to take action on key issues including rising unrest due to illegal mosque construction on government land.

Sharma, while addressing the media in Shimla, highlighted the deteriorating economic situation in Himachal Pradesh and directly blamed the Sukhu government’s mismanagement and excessive expenditure for it. He accused the state administration of blaming the Centre to hide its failures.

“The Chief Minister is claiming discrimination by the Centre, but the facts tell a different story,” Sharma said. He said Himachal has received more funds than initially estimated. The state was expected to get ₹8,478 crore from central taxes in 2023-24, but instead got ₹9,167 crore. The allocation for 2024-25 is ₹10,351 crore, higher than the estimated ₹10,124 crore.

Mosque row escalates
Sharma also condemned Sukhu’s way of handling the mosque row, which has led to a lot of unrest in various parts of the state. According to Sharma, illegal constructions, including mosques built on government land, are being used for anti-social activities. He accused the government of allowing these illegal activities to continue without check, which has led to widespread protests.

“The situation is worsening because the government has done nothing to remove these illegal constructions and the social tension caused by them. People are now agitating across the state,” Sharma said.

During an all-party meeting on September 13, the Chief Minister had promised to form a committee headed by the Assembly Speaker to investigate and resolve the situation. However, Sharma said that even after a week has passed, no such committee has been formed. “This shows how serious the Chief Minister is about the issue,” he said.

Calls for quick action and criticises Congress

Sharma accused the Congress party of using the migrant population involved in illegal construction as a vote bank and compared their actions to Leftist tactics. “Even after the all-party meeting, the government has not taken any concrete steps. Instead, cases are being filed against those participating in public protests and notices are being sent to journalists covering the issue,” Sharma said.

Sharma also hit back at Sukhu over his comments on BJP national president JP Nadda and advised the Chief Minister to focus on advising his party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Randhir Sharma concluded by stressing the need for immediate action to address both the state’s economic crisis and the growing unrest over the mosque dispute. He warned that government inaction could further escalate tensions. He asked Chief Minister Sukhu to shoulder his responsibilities instead of blaming the Centre.