Financial Emergency Imposed in Punjab?

Financial Emergency Imposed in Punjab?
LUDHIANA: 25 Feb 2009: The All India Congress Committee spokesperson Manish Tewari,today said that the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janata Party alliance government had thrown the state into total bankruptcy and imposed financial emergency. He pointed out, this was the natural consequence of the wrong policies of the government which had been admitted to time and again by no less a person than the Finance Minister, Manpreet Badal, himself.

In a statement issued here today, Tewari pointed out, it is unprecedented that a state government has brought a ‘vote on account’ budget in a non election year. “It is no less than the financial emergency as the state has no funds even to pay the salaries”, he remarked, while adding, “otherwise what is the rationale behind bringing a vote on account budget in a non election year”.

He said, the silence of the Finance Minister on the crucial issue was intriguing. “He is either not being allowed to speak the truth or he has stopped speaking the truth”, Tewari remarked, while referring to his (Manpreet Badal’s) earlier candid admissions about the wrong policies of the government and its repercussions on the state of economy.

The AICC spokesperson, who has been moving around in different partsof the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency for a long time, said, he had found that no government cheques were honoured as there were no funds. “It is quite unheard of that the government cheques go dishonoured, but this has been happening in Punjab and that too the cheques issued during the Sangat Darshan programmes presided over by no less a person than the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal himself”,he said.


Tewari ridiculed the development claims of the Punjab government particularly the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son, Sukhbir Badal. He asked them to explain as where from do the father-son duo get the money for these projects. “I am sure they are spending much more on propaganda and publicity than the development”, he asserted, while adding, “I doubt whether there is any blue print of such projects available anywhere”. Because, these projects are inaugurated for the heck of it without any motive or intent of starting work, not to speak of completing them.

The senior Congress leader challenged Sukhbir Badal in particular to illustrate one example where any development project has really taken off. “You are already into the third year of government and you are yet to show to the people anything worth the name you have done for the state”, he said, while revealing that the maximum money the Punjab government has spent during the last two years is on publicity and propaganda.

“You have had enough of foundation laying ceremonies, let’s see when you start the inauguration functions”, Tewari remarked, while pointing out, not a single project has been completed or inaugurated during this government in two years of its tenure. (eom)