India, Sept. 20 -- The agreement to move ahead with the Kishau Multipurpose Project has opened another political front in Himachal Pradesh, with the Congress government and the BJP presenting different accounts of how the long-pending project finally reached the agreement stage.

The proposed Rs 15,624-crore dam is to be built on river Tons, a tributary of the Yamuna, on the border of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The project involves multiple states and has been under discussion for years, with questions over its cost, water-sharing arrangements and the benefits and liabilities for Himachal Pradesh.

For the Congress government, the agreement is being viewed primarily through the question of he state's financial interests. Party lead...