Continuing his tirade against the Badals father-son duo over alleged diversion of Central funds, Punjab local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday asserted that “dark reality” of their decade-long rule has been unmasked.
“The Akalis should stop justifying their faults and bad mouthing the Congress-led Government on the issue of holistic development of the State across all sectors as the dark reality of their decade long rule has been unmasked by the Union Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry,” said Sidhu.
He said Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, in his communication to the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has pointed out “glaring irregularities of financial nature” in the matter pertaining to release of Central and State share of funds to the Urban local Bodies (UlBs).
Taking on the previous SAD-BJP Government, Sidhu said as per the communication, not only the State’s share was not released but there was delay in releasing Central Government’s share too making it an anomaly of a very grave nature.
“As per the Union Ministry’s stand, the recruitment of persons with professional expertise in UlBs is being funded by it but the State Government didn’t fill up the positions which call for an explanation by the previous regime which often takes recourse to moral high ground on every issue and try to browbeat progress centric agenda of the Congress Government,” he said.
Bringing more acts of omission and commission by the previous regime to the fore, Sidhu said although the Akalis kept harping on Smart City Mission, “but the fact is that no project has been tendered so far while AMRUT mission is also in the midst of glitches besides only one UlB being declared open defecation free (ODF) thus putting much touted Swachh Bharat Mission in jeopardy”.
“With these startling revelations coming to the fore, with what face the SAD-BJP would go to the people as it is the Central Government led by BJP which has landed a severe punch to the combine,” he said.
Severely castigating SAD-BJP, the Minister said that the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal should come forth and be answerable to the public about their hollow claims in the name of development.