A day after Governor Banwarilal Purohit said Punjab's debt has risen by Rs 50,000 crore under the Aam Aadmi Party rule, the Congress hit out at the Bhagwant Mann dispensation demanding a special audit of the borrowings while Shiromani Akali Dal asked if the money was spent only on “self promotion” and paying the “air travel and hotel bills” of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Purohit, in a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had said he learnt that "the debt of Punjab rose by about Rs 50,000 crore during your regime". "Details of utilisation of this huge amount may be furnished so that I will be able to convince the prime minister that money has been properly utilised," he wrote. In a letter to Purohit on Saturday, Partap Singh Bajwa - the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly - said the additional debt of Rs 50,000 crore has resilted in the increase in the debt-GDP ratio to 47.6 per cent". This matter is of utmost concern, given the promises and commitments made by the AAP before assuming power, he said. "These promises included pledges to work with unwavering honesty, save Rs 54,000 crore through prudent measures such as generating Rs 20,000 crore from mining and plugging Rs 34,000 crore in budgetary leakages attributed to corruption in the execution of various schemes. It was asserted that these actions would alleviate Punjab from its debt burden," the Congress leader said. "However, it has come to our attention that the reality seems to diverge significantly from these assurances. In just 18 months, the AAP-led government has borrowed a staggering Rs 50,000 crore," he claimed. Bajwa said the most concerning aspect of this is the apparent lack of transparency and accountability in the "utilistion of this substantial loan". "Even a response letter from your esteemed office, in reply to the chief minister's plea to approach the Union government, appears to reflect the challenges in obtaining information from the current government," the MLA from Qadian said. "These circumstances underscore the urgent need for an immediate and comprehensive audit, under the purview of the Accountant General of Punjab. This audit is not just a request, it is a demand for transparency and accountability," he said. Bajwa also claimed that the people of Punjab deserve clarity. "I implore your honourable self to consider this plea for a special audit with the utmost urgency. Such an audit will serve the interests of Punjab's people and secure the future of our democracy. Your prompt action in this matter is of utmost importance," said Bajwa. Meanwhile, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal asked government to explain where the money has been spent. Badal alleged, “Crop and flood compensation have not been paid, the promised Rs 1000 per month to women has not been paid; the revised pension to the elderly people has not been paid; shagun to newly-wed girls is not being paid, the unemployment allowance has not been paid”. He further said that Bhagat Puran Singh Health Insurance Scheme and Free Tirath Yatra Scheme have been stopped while no new roads or flyovers have been constructed. “Girl students are not being given free cycles; needy families are not being given free utensils; while Sewa and Suvidha Kendras have been closed. So where has the money been spent? Punjab wants to know,” said Badal, asking “was people's money spent only on self promotion and paying the air travel and hotel bills of Kejriwal?” (With inputs from PTI)
