Chandigarh, March 8
Reacting to the Punjab Budget, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said that the budget presented by the Bhagwant Mann government once again proves that the Aam Aadmi Party government has no concrete roadmap for Punjab’s development. Chugh said that instead of addressing the aspirations of the people of Punjab, the budget has turned out to be nothing more than a document of hollow announcements and political rhetoric.
Chugh said that after the reality of this budget has come to light, it is necessary to remind the Aam Aadmi Party of the promises it made during the 2022 Assembly elections. He said that at that time Arvind Kejriwal had aggressively promoted a so-called 10-point ‘Punjab Model’, but four years later it stands completely exposed, and the budget has only highlighted this failure.
Chugh said that the Aam Aadmi Party had promised employment for every youth, but today Punjab’s youth are forced to migrate to other states and even abroad due to the lack of opportunities in their own state. He said the very youth who were supposed to build the future of Punjab are now compelled to leave the state because of unemployment and growing frustration.
Referring to the promise of eliminating drugs, Chugh said that Kejriwal had claimed the drug mafia would be wiped out within two weeks of forming the government, but the reality is that the drug menace has only worsened. He pointed out that Rs. 150 crore was allocated in the previous budget for a Drug Census, but not a single rupee has reportedly been spent. Chugh questioned where this money has gone and whether it was diverted towards publicity and political extravagance.
Chugh further said that the law and order situation in Punjab has deteriorated drastically, with incidents of murder, extortion, gang violence and grenade blasts being reported almost every day. Even leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party themselves have been killed in broad daylight. He said that the Punjab Police and administration have been reduced to mere puppets under political pressure, while ordinary Punjabis continue to live in fear and insecurity.
Attacking AAP’s claim of ending corruption, Chugh said that corruption in Punjab has reached an all-time high under the Mann government. Ministers and MLAs of the government have faced corruption allegations, and even AAP’s own MP Malvinder Kang has openly exposed large-scale corruption in illegal mining. Chugh said that while Kejriwal had promised Rs. 20,000 crore revenue from mining in 2022, Punjab has received barely around Rs. 800 crore in the last four years, raising serious questions about the missing revenue.
Chugh said that the promised education and healthcare revolutions have also turned out to be hollow claims. He said that the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana claimed to provide Rs. 10 lakh health insurance, but in reality the coverage is barely around Rs. 1 lakh. Similarly, the promise of Rs. 1,000 per month for women remained unfulfilled for four years and is now being revived as elections approach. He said the government must first explain when it plans to pay the arrears of the previous 48 months.
Chugh added that promises to resolve farmers’ issues, including loan waivers and MSP support for all crops, remain unfulfilled. At the same time, instead of promoting industry and business, Punjab is witnessing the migration of major industries. He said that today the situation is such that major industries from Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar have already begun shifting out of the state. Chugh said the truth is that the so-called ‘Punjab Model’ of Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party has completely collapsed, and the people of Punjab now clearly see through this political deception.
