Taking serious note of the remarks made by the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the SAD-BJP Government for creating ‘financial mess’ in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said that due to the misgovernance of Akalis, the State was heading towards “bankruptcy”.
AAP spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira said: “While the need of the hour was to adopt stern austerity measures to improve state’s fiscal health, Badals are busy doling out money to woo back people, who have already decided to throw them out of power in 2017.”
Khaira said that the financial mess in the state is so acute that the Badal Government has failed to even release pension and post-retirement dues without any legal justification for months and years together, leading to a barrage of “cancerous litigation”.
“Even Justice Rajiv Narain Raina of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the state government to stem the rot by resorting to extraordinary measures. The court, in a recently passed order, has reminded Punjab Chief Secretary that when the ‘disease is deadly, the cure must be drastic’,” said Khaira.
Now, the court has directed the chief secretary to submit a comprehensive affidavit disclosing the “curative solutions” after analysing “this epidemic” and finding workable solutions in the state treasuries, Khaira said adding that instead of adopting much needed austerity measures, “Badals are giving rank of Minister to every Jack and Jerry to burden the already overburdened state coffer”.
Describing this situation as “alarming”, the court has directed the state government to draw an action plan to disburse pensions with reasonable time and submit the blueprint so that the court is not “needlessly burdened with stereo type litigation bogging it down” where legal issues are not involved for adjudication, he said.