Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa reprimanded the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government for its failure to revive the financial health of Punjab and escalating the debt burden on the state.
Bajwa said that instead of strengthening the economic condition of the state, as promised by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and is Delhi counterpart and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal before the assembly elections in February 2022, they had made the state's economy so fragile that the Government has been begging for funds every now and then to smoothen the functioning of essential activities in the state.
Congress leader’s reaction came as the AAP Government in Punjab had planned to borrow Rs 14,700 crore in the third quarter (October to December) of the financial year 2022-23. It is also worth mentioning here that the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors in September this year already approved a loan of USD 150 million (approximately Rs 1,200 crore) to Punjab to help the state better manage its financial resources and improve access to public services.
“Before Punjab assembly elections in February 2022, AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had assured that he would shut down the illegal sand mining, which would consequently generate 20,000 crores in revenue that would benefit the people. He made similar claims to improve the financial situation of the state by ending corruption. All his promises and guarantees have evidently been in vain and in the span of just eight months state's economy has been in shamble,” said Bajwa.
He went on to say that at this rate, AAP government would burden the State with Rs 2.65 lakh crore debt by the end of its tenure if it lasted till then. “It has been proven now that Kejriwal and Mann deceived the people of Punjab in the name of badlav (change),” he said.
Lashing out, Bajwa said: “Rather than spending crores of rupees recklessly on self-publicity, adding more vehicles in the cavalcade and befooling the people of poll-bound state Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann must take serious steps towards the betterment of state’s financial health.”
On the alleged Naib Tehlisdar Recruitment Exam Scam, Bajwa said that the government as well as the investigating agencies must bear in mind that not all the candidates indulged in this alleged fraud. “Therefore, the candidates, who burnt the midnight oil to prepare for this examination, must not be victimized for the crimes of others,” he said adding that Punjab Congress has been demanding a judicial probe into the matter so that a thorough investigation could be conducted.