BJP govt paid Rs 396 cr 'extra' to pvt firm in power project: HP Congress

The former Ghumarwin Congress MLA further blamed the Jai Ram Thakur government for not using the public money in a prudent way on various projects.

The Congress has alleged that Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in Himachal Pradesh had paid Rs 396 crore "extra" payment "beyond the scope of agreement" to a private company in a power project.

The chairperson of Himachal Pradesh Congress 'chargesheet' Committee Rajesh Dharmani told PTI that this and several other financial irregularities would be included in the 'chargesheet' being issued by the state Congress against the BJP government in in September, a few months before the Assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year.

However, Dharmani refused to divulge details regarding the "over and above payment" to the private company stating that the details would be included in the 'chargesheet' to be issued within the next two months.

The former Ghumarwin Congress MLA further blamed the Thakur government for not using the public money in a prudent way on various projects. The government could have saved at least Rs 3,000 crores if it had spent prudently, he added.

He said paper leak for recruiting police constables, undue delay in announcing results for appointing panchayat secretaries and junior office assistants, unpreparedness during second wave of COVID-19, high rate purchasing during covid, alleged backdoor appointments of BJP supporters in government jobs, irregularities in the purchase of water pipes by the Jal Shakti Department and unfulfilled promises made in BJP manifesto would also be the part of the Congress 'chargesheet'.

The five-member state Congress Chargesheet Committee- having Ashish Butail, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal and Budhi Singh Thakur as its members- is giving final touches to the 'chargesheet' which will be issued for the electors of the state so that they may judiciously make up their mind before casting their votes in the coming Assembly elections, he added.

Alleging unpreparedness of the state government during the second wave of coronavirus, Dharmani said a number of valuable lives were lost during the pandemic due to "mismanagement in properly handling the COVID-19".

Dharmani alleged a number of ventilators remained unused as experts were not available to operate them. In some hospitals equipments were available but medical staff was not there and vice versa in other hospitals due to which the people of the hill state suffered a lot, he alleged.

Besides, the ruling BJP had to remove its then state president in a case pertaining to high rate purchasing during covid, he added.

Notably, Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal had resigned from his post in May, 2020, saying he was doing so to ensure a proper investigation into an alleged corruption case.

In a resignation letter sent to BJP president J P Nadda, Bindal had stated that he was tendering his resignation on high moral grounds as some people were dragging the party's name in the alleged corruption by the state health director.

Dharmani also blamed the Thakur government for not getting any special package from the central government despite being double engine governments of BJP at the Center and the state, and JP Nadda from Himachal Pradesh as national chief of the saffron party.

Regarding paper leak, Dharmani said the written test for recruitment of 1,334 constables in the state Police was held on March 27 but it was cancelled by Chief Minister Thakur on May 6 amid reports of paper leak.

On May 17, the chief minister announced to handover the case to Central Bureau of Investigation but it has not been handed over to CBI till date to "save police officials" and a special investigating team of the state police, constituted on May 6, continues to probe the case, he added.