Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, June 3: People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal today expressed shock over the loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer simply to cater to the bloated ego of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who could sacrifice the interests of the state to display his photograph on the ambulances provided under the central scheme for which annual allocation from the centre is made to keep the service functional.
“Punjab has lost Rs. 23.8 crore over a period of three years due to the refusal of the Chief Minister to remove his pictures from these ambulances despite clear instructions from the centre from time to time. Earlier, he could take refuge under the argument of discrimination by the Congress led UPA government but then the rules don’t change with transfer of power and as such, the present government too has withheld allocation under this scheme. One can’t make out as to why Badal likes so much see his pictures on the ambulances”, he added.
The former finance minister said a bankrupt state like Punjab could ill-afford such costly but idiosyncratic hobbies of the rulers when the dispensaries lack medicines. He said Punjab lost Rs 9.32 crore in 2012-13, Rs 7.28 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 7.2 crore in 2014-15 as the Chief Minister refused to remove his photographs.
Manpreet said no government worth its salt could justify such huge loss to the exchequer merely to cater to the whims of a chief minister and that too who was in his fifth term in office.
He called upon Mr. Badal to publicly apologise to the people as he himself had been on record against the removal of his pictures when the controversy erupted during the UPA government with the centre threatening that the financial assistance for this scheme would be stopped.
He pointed out even the ration cards carried Mr. Badal’s photos although these cards were not supposed to expire with the ouster of the government.
He called for total ban on such hobbies of the rulers like the one on display of photos of ruling politicians in ads on the use of such pictures.
He said the problem in this case was that Punjab had lost more than Rs 23 crore to maintain this hobby of the Chief Minister which could never be justified in a democratic set up.
