Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said the BJP government spent Rs 6.93 crore on ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ programmes but did not invite families of freedom fighters to official functions.

Replying to a question from part member Sanjay Rattan in Vidhan Sabha, Sukhu said Amrit Mahotsav was a programme of the central government but the money was spent from the state budget The programmes should have been dedicated to freedom fighters and martyrs who fought for freedom, he said, adding that the importance of these programmes would have increased if families of freedom fighters were also invited and honoured Such functions should not have been politicised. Rattan who is from the family of freedom fighters was also not invited to function in his constituency, Sukhu said.

The government should not stop such programmes but ensure that families of our freedom fighters are invited.

Leader of the opposition, Jai Ram Thakur said Amrit Mahotsav programmes were organised across the country and Himachal also conducted programmes and spent money but the government is making it an issue.

He said not inviting Rattan’s family could have been an error which should be corrected and asked whether the government would implement any scheme or programme brought by the Centre.

Thakur also urged the state government to restore the rescinded “Loktantra Prahari Samman Yojana”- providing for a monthly pension of Rs 11,000 per month to persons, who were jailed during the emergency.

The scheme was started during the tenure of the previous BJP government.

Rattan said the BJP celebrated Amrit Mahotsav keeping in view the elections and misused the government money and also claimed that he was not invited to the programmes held in his constituency.

”It would have been more appropriate if the money was spent on raising memorials in the honour of freedom fighters”, he added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.