“AAP pushed Punjab to financial mess”: BJP’s Tarun Chugh

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh lambasted the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab for "making a mess of the financial position" of the state and "fudging the data to mislead the people".

Chandigarh: Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Wednesday lambasted the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab for “making a mess of the financial position” of the state and “fudging the data to mislead the people”.

In a statement, taking strong exception to the “exorbitant increase in the debt raised” by the AAP government Chugh blamed the Bhagwant Mann government for “siphoning off funds for fake publicity” of the government.

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“Chugh demanded that there should be a white paper on the Punjab money spent on political tourism by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to states in Punjab and elsewhere. He blamed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for squandering Punjab money to promote the political activities of AAP and Kejriwal in other states,” the statement alleged.

He said in 2021-22 Punjab had a debt of Rs 2.82 lakh crore which skyrocketed to Rs 3.12 lakh crore in the 2022-23 financial year. “The debt is projected to touch a new high of Rs 3.47 lakh crore by the end of fiscal year 2023-24 which is an alarming situation for the state economy”. He alleged the Bhagwant Mann government’s “alarming inefficiency is also reflected in a steep decline” in revenue collection which is almost 50 per cent less than the figures projected in the annual budget. Chugh welcomed the Punjab Governor’s initiative to seek details of the financial mess in the state and serve an indirect word of caution on the situation, it said.