AAP set to make Punjab bankrupt, says Congress leader Bajwa

Chandigarh, April 4 (IANS) The Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Friday, warned the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government of the grave repercussions of its growing borrowing tendencies.

"As per the data available on the website of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Punjab will be further indebted by Rs 16,800 crore in the first quarter of the financial year 2025-26. By the end of this fiscal year, the outstanding debt in Punjab has been projected to be approximately Rs 4,17,136.10 crore. The outstanding debt in Punjab was roughly Rs 2.73 lakh crore, when the AAP government got hold of power in March 2022. Punjab's debt load is estimated to touch around Rs 450,000 crore by the end of the AAP's term in 2027," Bajwa said in a statement.

The Congress leader said that due to the "financial chaos" created by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government, Punjab has become a bankrupt state.

Punjab is the second-most debt-ridden state in the country and the AAP has made Punjab a bankrupt state, he said.

"Renowned economists of Punjab have rightfully concluded the recent Budget of the AAP government in Punjab as the usual Budget that would potentially make Punjab ‘kangla’ (bankrupt) instead of ‘rangla’ (vibrant)," Bajwa said.

Taking a jibe at the ruling party over its 2022 Assembly campaign slogans, he said that even though the AAP has completed three years of its term, it absolutely failed to raise revenue from the promised sources, including Rs 20,000 crore from mining and Rs 34,000 crore by ending corruption.

"The AAP left no stone unturned to create a fake narrative of its government by squandering Punjab taxpayers' money on advertisements. Punjab's exchequer is being wasted on the party expansion by these so-called ‘kattar imaandar’ (staunch honest). In such circumstances, the AAP government's motto of ‘Rangla Punjab’ seems nothing more than a cruel joke," Bajwa said.

--IANS

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