Partap Bajwa urges CAG to initiate probe in Punjab on lines of Delhi

After the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports unfolding the alleged misdeeds of the previous Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Bajwa, on Thursday, urged the CAG to initiate a similar probe in Punjab. 

"As per the CAG report, the Delhi government incurred a loss of Rs 2,002 crore because of alleged irregularities in formulating and implementing the excise policy in the AAP government in 2021-22. The CAG report also revealed that the AAP government’s spending on advertising campaigns surged by 1,200 per cent between 2018 and 2022," Bajwa added. 

He said the AAP replicated Delhi's excise policy in Punjab after it formed the government here; the AAP government in Punjab also followed its masters sitting in Delhi to falsely publicise its performance. There were occasions when the AAP's Punjab government broadcast advertisements in states other than Punjab, wasting money from the Punjab exchequer, he claimed. 

"Therefore, I urge the CAG to take cognizance of this and launch a probe to examine irregularities in Punjab," he said. 

Bajwa said that after three years in power, the AAP government in Punjab has now woken up from its slumber to form a five-member cabinet committee to tackle the rapidly growing drug menace. However, the promise was to end the drug abuse within three months of forming the government, he added.