Accusing the previous governments of pushing the state into a debt trap, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Monday said the AAP dispensation will get an audit done to enquire where the money was used and make recovery. "Previous governments have left a debt of Rs 3 lakh crore on Punjab. But where has this money been used? We will investigate and make recovery because it is people's money," a tweet in Punjabi from the party's state unit said while quoting the chief minister. The debt burden is a huge political issue in the state. The previous governments had blamed Centre’s special term loan during militancy for the debt. In the run up to the Punjab Assembly polls in February, AAP had targeted successive governments for pushing the state into a debt trap in the last 50 years. Senior party leader Raghav Chadha, now a Rajya Sabha member, had said every child born in Punjab now has a debt of Rs one lakh on his or her head. As per official records, Punjab had a debt burden of Rs 1.25 lakh crore in 2016 when SAD-BJP combine was ruling the state. The debt skyrocketed to Rs 3 lakh crore in the next six years, including the five years — 2017-2022 — when Congress was in power. AAP wrested power from the Congress this year by winning 92 of the 117 Assembly seats. An amount of Rs 5,800 crore was given to Punjab between 1984 and 1994 for combating insurgency and militancy in the state. The debt has risen over the years and the fund-crunched government has been taking more loans to pay off the interest payments. While the ruling AAP tweeted its decision, the officials have no idea on how the audit would be done. Saddled with Rs 3-lakh cr debt, Mann says will order audit of money spent, initiate recovery “We also learnt about it from the tweet. We do not know how the details are being worked out,” said a government functionary. The Akali Dal, meanwhile, welcomed the move, but senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema added tat the inquiry should not be used as a garb to run away from the promises which AAP made to people before the Assembly polls. "We are all for a free and fair probe into the Rs 3 lakh crore debt accumulated by the state but this probe should not be used as an excuse to run away or delay fulfilling the promises made to the people by AAP at the time of polls," Cheema said. The Akali leader claimed that the previous Congress government had used the excuse of empty treasury to renege on all promises made to people. "Despite knowing the reality of the financial position of the state before taking over the reins of the state, Chief Minister Mann has now come up with an excuse to probe the reasons behind this position. The SAD feels the probe should not come in the way of fulfilling the government promise to distribute Rs 1,000 to all women in the state besides ensuring 300 units of free power per month to all domestic consumers immediately," Cheema said Cheema also said the chief minister should also order an inquiry into the advertisements released by the state during the last one month in office. "As per reports, taxpayer's money is being used to spread the propaganda of AAP across the country. Advertisements are being released in regional languages by the AAP government to project its alleged achievements in south India and even poll bound States like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh," he said. "Crores of rupees have been spent for this purpose which does not benefit Punjab or Punjabis in any manner whatsoever," he said. Mann meet MLAs CM Mann met a few MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday and took feedback from them about corruption and other issues on the ground. AAP MLA Malwinder Singh Gyaspura from Payal said that he had told the CM that a few officials were still engaging in corruption and he had warned them that if they did not stop he would go to any extent to ensure that the corruption ended in AAP rule.
