Amid growing financial crisis, AAP-led Punjab govt set to take aircraft at exorbitant rent: Congress leader Partap Bajwa

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 30

After the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government proposed to rent a Falcon 2000 aircraft, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday accused the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of squandering Punjab's taxpayers' money for the party expansion.

"Maharaj of Satauj (Mann) with his inclination to please the King of Delhi (Arvind Kejriwal), who lives in a newly built Rs 40 crore bungalow has all set to further jeopardised the already deteriorated fiscal health of the state", Bajwa added.

Senior Congress Leader, Bajwa said the AAP government was bent upon hiring a 13-seater Falcon 2000 aircraft. Per hour rent of the same plane is Rs six lakh. The government is committed to using the plane for a minimum of 600 hours per year, which would cost Rs 36 to Rs 40 crore. Moreover, the plane will not be brought to Chandigarh but it will remain stationed at New Delhi only.

"The only motive behind hiring this aircraft at such an exorbitant rent is to take AAP leadership sitting in Delhi including Delhi CM and AAP's National Convener Arvind Kejriwal to the rallies at election-bound states. They are also planning to hide such ulterior movements from the people of Punjab that's why they are stationing their plane in Delhi", said Bajwa.

The opposition leader said it is worth mentioning that the Punjab government already has a helicopter. Besides this, it also hired a fixed-wing aircraft. It is notable that the annual aircraft expenditure of previous governments in Punjab was from Rs 7-8 crore.

"The debt burden of the state has already crossed the Rs 3 lakh crore mark in the financial year 2022-23. It is expected to increase to Rs 3,47,542.39 crore by the end of the financial year 2023-24. Punjab's economy is bleeding. In the given situation how wise is the decision of the AAP government to rent this aircraft,” Bajwa asked.

Bajwa said that the Punjab CM Mann is nothing more than a puppet, who dances to the tunes of the AAP's Delhi leadership without performing his obligations as Punjab CM.

#Aam Aadmi Party AAP #Bhagwant Mann #Congress #Partap Singh Bajwa