Thakur credits PM Modi for Kishau Dam MoU, slams HP govt's credit claim

Ex-CM Jai Ram Thakur credited PM Modi and Amit Shah for the Kishau Dam MoU, saying BJP-ruled states' cooperation was key. He accused the HP govt of taking undue credit and disputed CM Sukhu's claims about the project's financial benefits.

Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said the signing of the Kishau Multipurpose Project MoU was possible primarily due to the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the willingness of BJP-ruled states to share the project-related costs.

Speaking to ANI in Shimla, Thakur thanked the Prime Minister and Home Minister for pushing the participating states to finalise the agreement and claimed that the Himachal Pradesh government was unnecessarily trying to take political credit for the development. “I first thank the Central government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and particularly Home Minister Amit Shah. There was a strong push from them that the Kishau Dam MoU among all the states should be completed. The Prime Minister’s Office was also continuously asking that the process be completed at the earliest,” Thakur said.

Kishau Dam MoU Credits and Controversies

He said the agreement would benefit Himachal Pradesh while also addressing the growing water requirements of water-deficit states such as Delhi and Rajasthan. “The Centre has opened its heart for Himachal’s interests because it understands that the state is going through an economic crisis. At the same time, states such as Delhi and Rajasthan are facing increasing water requirements, and meeting these requirements will become more difficult in the coming years,” he said.

Thakur said the project could provide significant relief to water-deficit states once completed, besides generating power benefits.

Thakur said discussions on the Kishau project had taken place during his tenure as Chief Minister but the MoU was not signed because Himachal Pradesh had not agreed to the proposed financial terms. “Two meetings were held during our government. Discussions took place, but we could not reach a conclusion because we did not agree with the proposals coming from the other states,” he said.

He said Himachal Pradesh had initially indicated that it could bear a power cost of up to Rs 2.40 per unit, but later opposed a proposal involving a tariff of around Rs 3.40 per unit. “At most, we had said that we could go up to Rs 2.40 per unit. When the calculation was later revised to around Rs 3.40, we said this was not possible and refused to accept it,” he said.

Thakur said the project cost had increased from around Rs 11,500 crore initially to approximately Rs 15,500 crore at present. He said 90 per cent of the water component cost was being borne by the Government of India, with the beneficiary states contributing the remaining 10 per cent.

Dispute Over Financial Benefits

Thakur strongly disputed Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s claim that Himachal Pradesh would earn Rs 1,200-1,500 crore annually from the project. “The claim that Himachal will receive Rs 1,200-1,500 crore every year is not correct. If the project is completed, Himachal will get around 100 crore units of electricity annually. Even at Rs 6 per unit, the value would be about Rs 600 crore a year,” he said.

He said the actual value could change depending on future electricity tariffs but maintained that the current calculation did not justify the higher figure.

'Breakthrough Came from BJP-Ruled States'

Thakur said the major breakthrough came after BJP governments in Delhi and Rajasthan agreed to share the cost that had previously been a stumbling block. He said Delhi had agreed to bear 75 per cent of the relevant cost while Rajasthan would bear 25 per cent.

“The intervention of the Prime Minister and Home Minister was important. They asked the BJP-ruled states to cooperate and told them that Himachal is a small state going through an economic crisis and should be given relief,” he said.

Thakur said the political situation was different when his government had held discussions on the project, as Delhi was then governed by the Aam Aadmi Party and Rajasthan by the Congress. He said the present agreement should therefore not be portrayed as the personal achievement of the Himachal government.

Thakur said the Kishau project had significance beyond power generation and was linked to efforts to address the water requirements of downstream states and broader management of the Yamuna. He said the project would provide both power and water benefits to the participating states and would have long-term benefits for Himachal Pradesh.

On India's Global Role

On India's growing role in BRICS and the wider Global South, Thakur said India's participation in multilateral groupings was important for strengthening the country's economic, strategic and diplomatic position He said India's engagement through platforms such as BRICS should be viewed in the context of the country's expanding international role and its efforts to protect national interests while working with developing and emerging economies.

Thakur said the country's international engagements should ultimately contribute to economic growth, investment, technology, strategic cooperation and greater opportunities for Indian states and citizens.

BJP United, Congress Mired in Factionalism: Thakur

On questions about factionalism within the BJP, Thakur dismissed the allegations and said the party remained united with the objective of defeating the Congress. “You may divide us into 20 groups according to your calculations; it makes no difference. While you keep counting groups, we have been winning elections,” he said.

Citing recent local body elections, Thakur claimed that BJP chairpersons and vice-chairpersons had been elected in 10 of the 11 Zila Parishads in the state. He also claimed that the BJP had won three of the four municipal corporation elections.

Targeting the ruling Congress, Thakur alleged that factionalism within the party had reached its “peak” and claimed that the main objective of several leaders was to remove Chief Minister Sukhu. “They are engaged in efforts to remove their own Chief Minister. Their ministers were camping in Delhi. Some have returned, some are preparing to go again, while some leaders are meeting separately and others are travelling together,” he said.

Thakur said he could not say whether the state Cabinet would be expanded, taking a jibe at the Congress leadership. “I do not know whether there will be a Cabinet expansion or whether their entire political arrangement will be packed up,” he said.

“The people of Himachal Pradesh have suffered a great loss because of this government. Congress leaders themselves are saying that the Congress has suffered because of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu,” Thakur said.

(ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)