Himachal in reverse gear

Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal had been the health minister in the party-led government from 2007 to 2012. He was elected as the Speaker of the legislative assembly for two years before being appointed as the party state unit chief for the first time in 2020.

- Bhawani Negi of The Statesman

The five-time MLA talks to Bhawani Negi of The Statesman on how the Congress dispensation is not doing enough to improve the financial condition of the hill state. Bindal (69) also accuses the ruling Congress of bringing a bad name to the state.

Q. Himachal Pradesh is in a bad financial shape, with the Congress and the BJP blaming each other for the mounting debt. Where does the buck stop?

A. The incumbent Congress government is just a "time pass" government, resorting to blame games and diverting public attention. This is the worst performing government in the history of the state.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, cabinet ministers and many of the Congress MLAs were well versed with the financial condition of the state. Despite all this, they came up with guarantees to come to power. They have only worsened the financial condition of the state.

Ignoring the public interest, the chief minister is busy appointing his 'friends' to various posts, including parliamentary secretaries, chairmen and vice-chairmen of various corporations and boards.