The party has burnt its fingers with the fall of its governments in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. While numbers are not a problem in Telangana or Karnataka, the Congress wants to send a message that loyalty has no price
The ‘rebellion’ of February this year, in which six MLAs defected to the BJP in Himachal Pradesh and led to the loss of its candidate for Rajya Sabha Abhishek Manu Singhvi still irks and stings the Congress as well as chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
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So, in a first, the government introduced and passed a Bill to deprive pension to those who defect as per the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. According to the Bill, “any member disqualified under the 10th Schedule will forfeit their pension entitlement. Legislation also enables recovery of pension.”
This is a first and Sukhu, while speaking to News18, called it a “landmark legislation”. “No one will defect or think of it. I think all governments and states should think of this as it will ensure political stability,” he said.
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In fact, sources say all Congress-ruled states are mulling a similar law. The Grand Old Party has burnt its fingers with the fall of its government in Madhya Pradesh under Kamal Nath earlier and under Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra. While numbers are not a problem in Telangana or Karnataka, the Congress wants to send a message that loyalty has no price.
The pension in Himachal is Rs 36,000 — a substantial amount for a retired or former MLA. The BJP, meanwhile, called it a diversionary tactic by the state government in the face of a financial crisis.
On Wednesday, News18 had reported that as per data available, the debt liabilities in the state increased to Rs 76,651 crore in 2023. According to the state administration, Himachal is staring at a Rs 520 crore revenue deficit. Sukhu says this is because of the BJP government before him that depleted the economy and emptied coffers.
“Our expense annually on pension and salaries is Rs 25,000 crore. Monthly, it is Rs 1,200 crore on salaries and Rs 80 crore on pension. The BJP has been liberal with sops and freebies leading to this situation. Those who should pay income tax are exempted. Almost everybody has got water and electricity free and this is something I won’t allow. We have tried to improve the finances. For example, we began auction of liquor tenders and earned Rs 485 crore in one year, while BJP government earned Rs 635 crore in five years,” Sukhu said.
