AAP govt burdened Punjab with Rs 70K crore debt: Ex-PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu

Hoshiarpur, January 9

Former Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu today held another ‘Jitega Punjab, Jitegi Congress’ rally in Hoshiarpur.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he said, “If you have started wearing a yellow turban, then stop spending lakhs of rupees to travel on planes.”

He said the government had failed to make right policies for development of Punjab so far.

He pointed out that 12 lakh passports had been issued to Punjabis in the last one year and the youth were moving abroad by selling their properties as the state government couldn’t provide them a better future here.

Sidhu said the AAP government, which claimed to make ‘Rangla’ Punjab, had been pushing the youth towards slavery. He said there was no law and order and criminals were roaming freely.

Describing the AAP government as bankrupt, he said Mann had burdened the state with Rs 70,000 crore debt and failed to rein in the mining mafia. “The government should establish a mining corporation. It will provide employment to one lakh youngsters and generate an income of Rs 7,000 crore,” said Sidhu. There may be differences of opinion, but there’s no factionalism in the state Congress, he said.

Without naming anyone, Sidhu said due to the neglect of workers, the party’s image had taken a hit. He added that he would bring old and irate Congress workers and leaders together.

He said those speaking against the AAP government were being jailed. Efforts were under way to suppress the voice of Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

He said the Shiromani Akali Dal ruled in the name of Panth for decades but shielded the murderers of former Akal Takht Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke.

When told that AAP and the Congress high command recently held talks on seat sharing for the General Election in several states, including Punjab and Delhi, Sidhu said he would respect the decision of the top brass and alliance was being done to save democracy.