Chandigarh, Feb 27 (IANS) In the wake of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reporting the alleged misdeeds of the former Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Thursday urged the government auditor to initiate a similar probe in Punjab.
"As per the CAG report, the Delhi government incurred a loss of Rs 2,002 crore because of alleged irregularities in formulating and implementing the excise policy in the AAP regime in 2021-22. The CAG report also revealed that the AAP government’s spending on advertising campaigns surged by 1,200 per cent between 2018 and 2022," Bajwa said in a statement.
The Congress leader said it is pertinent to mention here that the AAP replicated Delhi's excise policy in Punjab after it formed the government here.
"Similarly, the AAP government in Punjab followed its masters sitting in Delhi to falsely publicise its performance. There were occasions when the AAP’s Punjab government broadcast advertisements in states other than Punjab, squandering Punjab’s exchequer. Therefore, I urge the CAG to take cognisance of the same and launch a probe in Punjab to examine irregularities in Punjab,” he said.
Bajwa said after three years into power, the AAP government in Punjab has "now woken up from its deep slumber" to form a five-member Cabinet committee to tackle the rapidly growing drug menace in Punjab. However, the promise was to end drug abuse in Punjab within three months of forming the government, he noted.
"Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s promise to make Punjab a drug-free state by the Independence Day of 2024 has also proven to be hollow. They have been lying ever since they formed the government in Punjab," said Bajwa.
Noting that the cabinet committee would be chaired by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the Congress leader said that before heading the committee, he should streamline Punjab's economy which has been on the verge of collapse.
