Delhi: BJP has hit out at Congress for failing to handle economics in Himachal Pradesh where it’s in power. The latest attack from the saffron party has come after the Congress-led government issued a notice allowing the sale of Himachal Bhawan in Delhi as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government failed to pay the electricity dues amounting to Rs 150 crore.

Taking an aim at the Congress, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Congress has stooped so low as to auction government buildings now. The credit goes to Rahul Gandhi ‘s ‘khatakhat economics’… Congress had made all sorts of promises in Himachal Pradesh, but as a result, the state government has no money to pay salaries and pensions now… Now when they have no money to pay the electricity bill of Rs 150 crores of the Himachal Bhawan, the property has been attached… Nothing is safe under Congress rule…”

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday issued an order allowing the sale of the state Bhavan in Delhi after Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government failed to pay the electricity dues amounting to approximately Rs 150 crore.

Himachal Bhawan on sale 

The court also ordered the Principal Secretary of the Electricity Department to conduct a fact-finding probe into this matter, so that the officials responsible for the negligence could be identified.

The decision by the court comes after the Congress government led by Sukhu in the state ignored previous orders by the authorities where it was asked to repay Rs 64 crore, which now increased to Rs 150 crore due to a 7 per cent interest.

As per media reports, the case relates to the 400 MW Seli Hydro Project on the Chenab River in Lahaul-Spiti. The high court had previously warned the Himachal Pradesh government that failure to pay these due would lead to serious consequences. It also asserted that the funds involved were from the state treasury.

High Court intervenes 

With this latest decision, the high court has now allowed the company to auction Himachal Bhavan to recover the outstanding amount. Himachal government files LPA against court’s decision.

The Himachal government however filed an LPA against the court’s decision. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that although he did not read the High Court order, “the upfront premium is based on a policy under which, when the energy policy was made in 2006, I was the main architect”.

“We had kept a reserve price per megawatt on which the companies had bid. There was a decision made by arbitration in the matter of upfront premium. Our government went to the High Court against the arbitration order and the government had to deposit Rs 64 crore in arbitration,” he added.