Referring to the State’s precarious situation on the fiscal front, Punjab Congress on Sunday sought a ‘white paper’ from the SAD-BJP coalition-led Government on the State’s finances beginning from 1997.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa has asked the State Government to come out with a white paper on the State’s finances, “beginning 1997, along with the details of special term loan extended to the State by the Centre during its fight against terrorism and the loan waiver announced by the Centre from time to time”.
Punjab’s fiscal position is “critical” as the State is under a debt of `two two lakh crore, Bajwa claimed.”Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is seeking special grants from the Centre citing terrorism as the main cause for the state’s mounting debt which has already been waived off by the Congress Government led by the then Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral,” said Bajwa.
Bajwa has also sought the white paper on the utilisation of money given to Punjab during the UPA regime under various Central schemes.He said that Badal is misleading the people on the issue of mounting debt “as it mainly comprised market borrowings and loan component from the Centre is very small and hence, the government at the Centre could do little to extend any help to Punjab on this crucial issue”.
Bajwa alleged that it was this money that had been splurged in Sangat Darshan programmes.
“Badal is using this money to consolidate his party’s vote bank as most of this direct assistance to the villages have been misappropriated and the condition of the villages is continuing to deteriorate,” said Bajwa. Alleging that “illegitimate” money was being spent on Sangat Darshan events of the Punjab Government, he demanded a special Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the expenditures on the programme.
“In the past over seven years of his regime, Badal has spent close to `21,000 crore on Sangat Darshan programmes and by the end of his 10-year term, this money will be around `30,000 crore. The money spent through Sangat Darshan programmes is unauthorised and illegitimate,” said Bajwa.
Meanwhile, the dharna, scheduled to be staged by the Congress on Monday, was cancelled after the State Deputy Chief Minister and the Minister in-charge Sukhbir Badal invited the protestors for holding talks.
“Dharna announced earlier to be staged in front of Chief Minister’s residence on September 29 has been postponed on the request of associations of industry from Mandi Gobindgarh who had conveyed that they have been invited for talks by Sukhbir Badal after announcement by the Congress to lead their dharna,” said Bajwa.
At the same time, he stated that there was no change in the programme by the Kisan cell of the party to stage demonstrations at the district headquarters on Monday.
“We would continue to resolutely take up the issues concerning various sections of the society and take these struggles to the logical conclusion the way we achieved success by taking up long pending demands of industry in the steel town of Mandi Gobindgarh which have now been conceded by the State Government,” added Bajwa.