Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Sunday said BJP is misusing public money to regain losing credibility in the state and termed PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana as an insult to the poor.

Talking to the media, Rathore said Union Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal launched the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana from a luxurious hotel in Shimla which was a sheer waste of public funds.

“It would have been better if the state government had gone to rural areas and distributed ration to the poor at public places so that wasteful expenditure of lakh of rupees could have been avoided.

The state government has misused public money by organizing a grand program that is not in the interests of the state keeping in mind the debt liabilities. It seems that the party is trying to regain declining credibility and popularity in the state by organizing such events with public money,” he added.

He took a jibe at the state government’s ‘Bhojan Bhi-Samman Bhi’ slogan and said by giving 5 kg ration, the government had not respected the poor but insulted them.

He termed Goyal’s announcement of providing nutritious rice to the poor by 2024 as an election gimmick and said the Central government was trying to woo the people by making such promises.

He alleged that the prices of foodgrains available at fair price shops were increasing day by day while the Union Minister was trying to cheat the people by announcing free ration to the people.

“Under the BJP rule, inflation has reached such a level that now there is no difference between the prices of food grains available in the open market and fair price shops,” he added.

He raised questions on the state government’s claim of providing free ration worth Rs 643 crore during the Covid period and asked as to where and to whom the free food items were distributed.

He also demanded a white paper from the BJP led state government on the issue.

He lashed at the Union minister for not announcing any relief package for small and medium industries of the state and also not announcing relief to apple growers in terms of increasing duty on apples imported from other countries.

He added that the Congress party will stage a protest on 28 September at district headquarters across the state on unemployment and injustices done to the unemployed youth.