Row over 'toilet tax' roils Himachal, BJP mounts all-round attack; CM Sukhu denies

Shimla, Oct 4 (IANS) Now, there is a row over 'toilet seat tax' in urban areas in the cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh that is ruled by the Congress-led government that came with a populist manifesto to woo the electorates in December 2022 Assembly polls. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, however, has categorically denied any claims of imposition or proposal of the so-called 'toilet tax' 

"I was surprised. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has imposed a tax on toilets also... this government has lost its mind," Union Health Minister and BJP President J.P. Nadda said at a public meeting at his hometown Bilaspur in the hill state on Friday.

The Opposition BJP has accused the government of failing to honour its election commitments and misleading voters. They argue that the imposition of the 'toilet seat tax' is a clear indication of the Congress' failure to deliver on its promises, which has undermined trust and confidence among the beneficiaries.

Amid the uproar, Chief Minister Sukhu denied reports of imposition of Rs 25 toilet tax in the state and termed it "baseless".

Sukhu told the media in Delhi that such "claims are baseless and should not be used for political purposes".

"In the light of Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP is either playing the religion card or sometimes raising the fabricated toilet tax issue. No one should attempt to politicise issues purely for political gains, especially when the allegations are far from reality," he said.

Sukhu further said prior to the Assembly elections in 2022, the then BJP government had introduced the free sops worth Rs 5,000 crore, including provision of free water, in a bid to secure electoral success.

"Despite these measures, the people of the state voted in favour of the Congress leading to formation of Congress government in the state," he said.

The Himachal Pradesh CM further said that free water was also offered to five-star hotels.

"In view of this, the present state government has taken steps to rationalise the water subsidy and decided to impose minimal charges of Rs 100 per connection per month in the rural areas," he said in a statement.

As per the government notification, a fee of Rs 25 has to be paid per toilet seat built in the houses of those residing in urban areas. This additional fee will be transferred to the account of the Jal Shakti Department.

It says the sewerage bill will be 30 per cent of the water bill. Those who use water from their own source will have to pay a charge of Rs 25 per toilet seat every month.

Clarifying on the issue, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said: "A political fuss. Narrative misrepresented at BJP's highest level intentionally."

Reacting to the imposition of the 'toilet seat tax', Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman wrote on X: "Unbelievable, if true! Whilst PM builds Swachhata as a people's movement, here is Congress taxing people for toilets! Shame that they didn’t provide good sanitation during their time, but this step will shame the country!"

Joining the issue, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla reacted by saying: "This is the zenith of the 'khatakhat' model of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi that now even toilets are not out of reach of this party."

"After petrol, diesel, milk, water, bus fares, and stamp duty, everything has been taxed after the Congress has come to power in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka... Big promises were made, and instead of fulfilling them, people were being made to pay the price. Salaries and pensions of employees cannot be paid,” he said.

The Himachal Pradesh government has already been facing backlash for its ‘failure’ to implement the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana that was launched during the Assembly polls with the promise of providing financial aid to women, calling it a ‘betrayal to the people’.

Karan Nanda, BJP media in-charge, accused the government of repeatedly making bold promises during election campaigns and subsequently failing to deliver them.

Nanda highlighted that the scheme, which aimed to support women aged between 18 and 60, has received applications from 7,88,784 women in the past 18 months.

However, only 28,249 women have actually received the funds so far.

Additionally, 2,384 applications were rejected due to non-compliance with eligibility criteria, and there have been reports of previously disbursed funds being reclaimed.

Under the scheme, there is a provision of a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for all women aged 18-60 years.

The cash-strapped government, whose debt liabilities increased to Rs 76,651 crore in 2023, has been facing the worst financial crisis with no budget to pay even salaries for 2.15 lakh employees and 90,000 retired employees.

Last month, for the first time in the state's history, the salaries were paid on September 5, while the pension will be disbursed on September 10. Employee unions blame the government for acquiring luxuries for ministers and political appointees.

Financial experts blamed financial mismanagement and wasteful expenditure for the deep financial crisis. They blame the ever-swelling wage and pension bills that are pushing the small hill state, which has been banking heavily on borrowings through market loans with an estimated debt of Rs 86,589 crore, besides committed liabilities of over Rs 10,000 crore pertaining to arrears of employees and pensioners, to the wall.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at [email protected])