On a day the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab completed six months in office, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday tore its achievement claims to pieces and accused it of “hollow promises” and “zero development”.
Addressing a press conference here, leader of opposition (LOP) Partap Singh Bajwa said the government has claimed to have made 200 arrests during its anti-corruption crusade which is good, but its helpline has been lying shut for the past few weeks.
Bajwa said they caught their own minister Vijay Singla over corruption allegations but he is still to be expelled from the AAP.
He said that another minister Fauja Singh Sarari was under a cloud, and several MLAs were embroiled in controversies. Bajwa was accompanied by his Congress Legislator Party (CLP) deputy leader Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal.
Coming down hard one by one on the achievements listed by the state government, Bajwa said that mines and geology minister Harjot Singh Bains had stated on the floor of the house that illegal mining had been stopped, but the claim was contradicted by the Border Security Force (BSF). “When the Punjab governor (Banwarilal Purohit) travelled to border areas, he was alarmed by the extent of mining and said that sedition cases should be registered against mining contractors,” the Congress leader said.
The LOP also hit out at the government for its excise policy that allegedly doubled the profit of two wholesalers and not uttering a word or coming forward to own it up when its two senior excise officers were raided by the Enforcement Directorate. The removal of 4,300 ex-servicemen appointed as guardians of governance (GoGs) by the state government and its false claim about BMW’s plans also came in for sharp criticism. Chabbewal accused Mann of changing his stance on the Agnipath Scheme, stating that when a special resolution was passed against it in the state assembly, the chief minister had opposed the scheme but he has now instructed all deputy commissioners to promote it.
{{/usCountry}}The LOP also hit out at the government for its excise policy that allegedly doubled the profit of two wholesalers and not uttering a word or coming forward to own it up when its two senior excise officers were raided by the Enforcement Directorate. The removal of 4,300 ex-servicemen appointed as guardians of governance (GoGs) by the state government and its false claim about BMW’s plans also came in for sharp criticism. Chabbewal accused Mann of changing his stance on the Agnipath Scheme, stating that when a special resolution was passed against it in the state assembly, the chief minister had opposed the scheme but he has now instructed all deputy commissioners to promote it.
{{/usCountry}}Calling the AAP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ charge against the BJP a replay of Delhi drama, he said that they made similar allegations in the Capital and then held an assembly session to prove their majority and say that their MLAs are with them. “They (AAP) will do the same here,” he claimed.
Failed to keep promise of free power, ₹1,000 a month for women: BJP
BJP’s Punjab unit chief Ashwani Sharma meanwhile accused the AAP of not delivering on a single promise during the last six months in office.
Talking to the media, Sharma said accused Mann and Arvind Kejriwal of making false promises of a “better and prosperous Punjab” during the assembly elections.
“Women of the state who were promised ₹1,000 every month are still waiting. The 600 units of free power promised by AAP is in doldrums. The hype created around action on sand mafia and transparency were all a gimmick,” said Sharma.
He said the AAP has opened 100 Mohalla clinics in six months in closed Suwidha Centres where there is staff shortage. “A whopping 12,000 crore debt has been taken by the state government. Where will it lead us? Punjab is already reeling under huge debt,” he said.
Sharma said that the much hyped “paperless budget” saved ₹21 lakhs but the government spent ₹42 lakh on advertising this achievement.