The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Himachal Pradesh government, accusing it of imposing an additional financial burden on the public through rising electricity tariffs and reduction in subsidy benefits.
BJP Himachal Pradesh Media Incharge Karan Nanda, addressing a press conference, alleged that the Congress government had failed to honour its pre-election promise of providing 300 units of free electricity to every household. Instead, he claimed, repeated tariff hikes and policy changes were increasing the cost of living for common citizens.
Nanda said the BJP had consistently opposed electricity tariff hikes both inside the Assembly and on the streets, describing the government’s decisions as “anti-people” in nature.
Referring to the Congress party’s election manifesto, he said the party had made several promises, including 300 units of free power under its “10 guarantees”. He contrasted this with the previous BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur, which had provided 125 units of free electricity to consumers.
He alleged that instead of offering relief, the current government had steadily increased power charges over the last three years. According to him, electricity duty on large industries was raised from 11% to 25% in September 2023 and further increased to 37.5% in January 2024.
Nanda further claimed that an additional cess of ₹1 per unit on commercial consumers was imposed in 2026, impacting sectors such as hotels, malls, private hospitals, petrol pumps, coaching centres and other establishments.
He said households that earlier benefited from free electricity up to 125 units were now paying significantly higher rates, with minimum monthly bills rising to around ₹750. For consumption between 126 and 300 units, tariffs reportedly increased to ₹5.89 per unit, leading to steep electricity bills for ordinary families.
The BJP leader also alleged that subsidy benefits had been withdrawn in cases where households had more than two electricity meters, affecting tenants, students, labourers and middle-class families living in rented accommodation.
Accusing the government of mismanagement, he claimed that central funds provided for development were being diverted to fulfil “unfulfilled guarantees” instead of being used for public welfare projects.
Nanda said the Congress government was pushing Himachal Pradesh towards becoming “one of the costliest states in the country” and warned that the BJP would continue its agitation against tariff hikes and subsidy cuts until they were rolled back.
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