Shimla, March 26 -- As chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for "squandering the state's wealth", BJP legislators walked out of the assembly accusing the chief minister of "misleading" the House.

Blaming the previous BJP government for fiscal challenges being faced by the state, Sukhu in the reply in the House after the discussion on the Budget address said, "The previous Jai Ram government left Himachal Pradesh's financial condition similar to that of Sri Lanka. The previous government under Jai Ram Thakur received Rs.70,000 crore under RDG and GST compensation, yet he failed to improve the state's financial condition. Despite this, they left behind a debt of Rs.76,000 crore and distribute...