A high-stakes political war over the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) has broken out in Himachal Pradesh, escalating tensions from the hills of Shimla to the power corridors of Delhi. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government is currently fighting a dual battle—on one side is a crippling financial crisis, and on the other, a complete lack of cooperation from the Opposition and the Raj Bhavan.
With both the BJP and Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla clearly distancing themselves from the state’s fiscal troubles, the Sukhu administration now finds itself isolated. However, the Chief Minister has shifted gears. The entire Cabinet is now planning a strategic move to Delhi, where they intend to raise the RDG issue at the Parliamentary level through Rahul Gandhi to pressure the Centre. Furthermore, the CM’s recent meeting with former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram strongly suggests that the state is preparing to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court to get the RDG restored.
On the offensive, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur has launched a scathing attack, labelling the current dispensation a “Rondu Sarkar” (a government of crybabies). Thakur asserted that the Sukhu government only knows how to complain to hide its failures and claimed the time has come to “uproot” them. In a sharp jibe, he added that the Chief Minister is looking to flee his home constituency of Nadaun in search of a “safe seat” like Dehra—conveniently ignoring that his own wife, MLA Kamlesh Thakur, currently represents that seat.
Internal friction is also visible as Congress’s own MLA, Pawan Kajal, is questioning the government over unfulfilled poll promises like the ₹1500 monthly allowance and cow-dung procurement. Meanwhile, BJP leader Randheer Sharma has challenged the very constitutional claim over RDG under Article 275. Jairam Thakur concludes that the “shehnai” for the government’s departure has already started playing, and even the bureaucracy has sensed that this regime’s days are numbered.
Whether the Sukhu government can save its financial future through the Supreme Court or if the Opposition’s relentless pressure will lead to a change in power remains to be seen.
