Chandigarh, January 14
Former Education Minister and MLA Pargat Singh strongly condemned the Aam Aadmi Party for deploying 1,600 government buses during the Maghi Mela for a political rally. He accused the Punjab Government of misusing public resources. He stated that the government claims it lacks funds to pay salaries and pensions to government employees, yet makes buses available for rallies.
“This is not governance but outright looting of public resources by the government. The Punjab Government has no money for people’s rights but is fully prepared to chant new slogans from the stage. The state government is squandering crores on propaganda”, thundered Pargat. He said that Punjab has become the second most indebted state in the country in terms of debt.
“Subsidies and other freebies are increasing this debt day by day. According to reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and other central agencies, the debt has risen from ₹2.25 lakh crore to nearly ₹4 lakh crore in four years. It is expected to reach ₹5 lakh crore by the end of 2026. Every child in Punjab is currently burdened under ₹1.33 lakh crore of debt”, argued Pargat.
Pargat added that for the sake of popularity, the Punjab Government made women’s travel free on government buses but PRTC and PUNBUS have not yet received ₹750 crore for the free travel scheme. “PRTC employees are protesting on the roads in Patiala. They are not even receiving salaries on time. ₹2,700 crore remains outstanding with various government departments, and ₹10,500 crore in electricity subsidy dues are still pending”, he added.
Pargat also stated that instead of looting the Punjab treasury, the state government should work to make Punjab prosperous. It must stop fooling the people and use government funds to fulfill their rights. Concrete efforts are needed to end Punjab’s rising debt.\
