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CHANDIGARH, October 11,The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has strongly condemned the Akali government for asking Panchayats to pay for its publicity boards after pushing the state into bankruptcy.
In a statement issued here today, PPCC leaders Shri Kewal Singh Dhillon, Shri Ajaib S. Bhatti, Shri Navtej S. Cheema and Shri Sukhbinder Sarkaria flayed the move as anti-people. They accused the Badal government of resorting to such cheap tactics to finance its publicity campaign ahead of the Assembly elections.
The Punjab Congress leaders accused the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister, of blatant corruption and said it had drained the state of public exchequer by misusing people’s money. “Having bankrupted the state, the government has now embarked on a campaign to impoverish other institutions, such as the Panchayats, too,” they added.
According to media reports, the 1,300 Panchayats in the state have been instructed by the government to pay between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 11,200 each, for putting up display boards in the villages. They have been asked to deposit the money with their respective Block Development and Panchayat Officers.
The cash-strapped Panchayats, which barely have sufficient funds to conduct their flagship welfare programmes, are finding it difficult to follow the `sarkari’ diktat, the PPCC leaders pointed out. Incidentally, in some cases the Panchayats have already put up boards showcasing the welfare programmes that the government apparently wants to highlight. The government departments concerned are reported to be defending the move as essential for making the general public aware of the various welfare schemes operational in the state.
The Congress leaders termed this as an atrocious explanation since most Panchayats were already carrying out awareness programmes in their respective areas regarding the welfare schemes. “The move is clearly aimed at using public money for promoting their political interests with an eye on the forthcoming elections,” said the leaders, demanding an immediate end to the practice.
Once considered India’s richest state, Punjab has come from riches to rags under the Badal regime, with investment at a standstill and even banks unwilling to lend to the state government. In fact, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had even blacklisted the state government some months back.
The multi-crore food grain scam in which the Badal government is now embroiled has further downgraded the state’s credibility as an attractive business and industrial destination, the PPCC leaders pointed out. They appealed to the voters of Punjab to use their electoral power to oust the Badal government so that the financial situation of the state could be revived before it’s too late.
