Congress, AAP policies behind Punjab’s debt: Shwait Malik

Former Punjab BJP president Shwait Malik has launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, saying that the policies of these two parties have pushed Punjab into a serious economic crisis and turned “Rangla Punjab” into a “Kangla Punjab”.

Malik alleged that between 2017 and 2022, when the Congress was in power in Punjab, the state had accumulated new debt of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore. By the end of the Congress tenure, Punjab’s total debt had risen to approximately Rs 2.83 lakh crore. The continuous increase in debt accelerated after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in March 2022. According to the budget estimates for the financial year 2026-27, Punjab’s total outstanding debt is projected to reach Rs 4,47,754 crore.

Currently, every citizen of Punjab has an average debt of over Rs 1.25 lakh, which means that a significant portion of the state’s total economy is burdened with debt.

Malik explained that a significant portion of the Punjab Government’s new debt is used to pay interest on existing loans and meet administrative expenses (such as salaries and pensions).

According to financial experts, this leaves little capital for new infrastructure, development, and public welfare projects in the state. Malik further explained that drug and heroin trafficking remains a serious problem in Punjab under both the AAP and Congress governments, and both the Congress and AAP governments have completely failed to break this network.

He said that the public is raising questions about the state’s rising debt, unemployment, deteriorating law and order and drug addiction during the Congress and AAP governments.