AAP’s mask of honesty slips: Punjab LoP Partap Singh Bajwa

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa slammed the AAP regime for allowing the “blatant misuse” of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a lifeline for rural workers.

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“It is inconceivable that fake beneficiaries, photographed in front of cartoon paintings to create attendance records, could be passed off without the active complicity or gross negligence of those in power,” Bajwa said.

The fraudulent act, where panchayat officials staged fake attendance using caricatures during “earth filling and levelling” work, reflected not just an isolated local scam, but a collapse of oversight mechanisms under the Mann government. “This happened under the nose of a government that boasts of transparency. Either the CM is unaware or unwilling to act,” Bajwa added.

He called for an urgent, independent, high-level probe into the matter, ensuring strict action against all those involved, be they local officials, sarpanches or AAP-backed functionaries. “This is a scheme meant to uplift the poor, not to enrich the corrupt. CM Mann must explain how such gross deception escaped the scrutiny of his administration,” Bajwa asserted.

The Congress leader also warned that the scam was likely the tip of the iceberg and demanded a wider audit of MGNREGA implementation across Punjab. He said this incident revealed a dangerous pattern of AAP’s misgovernance and manipulation of Central welfare schemes.

“The people of Punjab trusted the AAP to bring change. What they’ve got is corruption wrapped in slogans. This betrayal will not be forgotten,” Bajwa concluded.