The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday said the National Fiscal Health Index-2025, which has ranked Punjab last among the 18 major States in the country, is a true reflection of the performance of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as well as depiction of the manner in which he had ruined the financial health of the state.
Expressing shock at the latest findings of the Niti Aayog, senior SAD leaders Bikram Singh Majithia and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said in a statement: “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had promised to make Rangla Punjab but he has turned it into Kangla Punjab” even as they demanded the Chief Minister and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema submit their resignations immediately after this damning indictment.
The leaders said Punjab had failed comprehensively on all five parameters listed in the Fiscal Health Index including quality of expenditure, revenue mobilization, fiscal prudence, debt indices and debt sustainability.
“Punjab has won the dubious distinction of allocating only ten per cent of total development expenditure on capital expenditure which is proof that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has diverted public funds for party use. The SAD demands a high level probe be conducted into this diversion and the money so misused be recovered from AAP.”
Both the leaders said the Fiscal Health Index had busted many myths spun out by AAP and laid bare its real performance.“As per the report, the social services spending as well as the spending on health and education decreased during AAP rule even as backlog of incomplete projects impacted capital expenditure.”
They said the report also listed that debt sustainability was in the negative and would continue to rise unless there was some intervention.They said all this happened because chief minister Bhagwant Mann did not work for the welfare of Punjabis and instead worked as a stooge of AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal.
“The treasury of Punjab was looted to take the message of Arvind Kejriwal across the country. Thousands of crores were spent on bogus advertisements in the electronic, print and social media. Hundreds of crores were spent on providing security to non-Punjabi leaders of the party and even now the chief minister was adamant of providing needless Z plus security to Arvind Kejriwal.”
Majithia and Dr Cheema said this was not all. The Chief Minister had even surrendered the revenue of the State by allowing some Delhi companies to take over the liquor business in Punjab.They said the total fiscal collapse coupled with the AAP government’s failure to maintain law and order had led to the total ruin of Punjab.
“A state, which used to top on nearly all parameters around ten years back is now being listed at last while conducting a survey of 18 major states.”
The SAD leaders said the AAP government would be made accountable for leading the State into this mess. It demanded a high level probe to expose the nexus between the chief minister and Arvind Kejriwal, which had led to this state of affairs.