Advertisement

Updated January 24th, 2020 at 14:32 IST

SAD condemns Punjab FM Manpreet Singh flying off to a jaunt in Swiss Alps with family

Daljit Singh Cheema criticised Punjab FM Manpreet Singh Badal for going on a trip to the Swiss Alps with his family in the name of attending the Davos Summit.

Reported by: Gloria Methri
SAD
| Image:self
Advertisement

Former Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema on Thursday criticised Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal for allegedly going on a trip to the Swiss Alps with his family in the name of attending the Davos Summit. 

Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said in a statement that it was shocking that the finance minister who claimed to be against foreign trips and had even refused to offer tea to guests to save money, was least concerned about attending annual meetings at Davos.

"Manpreet has failed to explain one benefit of attending the Davos Summit last year. He has failed to mention a single investment coming into the State following his visit last year. However this has not dissuaded him from proceeding on a holiday again along with a contingent of officers as well as his family", the SAD leader said.

READ | Punjab Can't Accept Deviation From Riparian Principle: SAD

Slamming the Congress leader, Cheema said that the truth about Manpreet's claims of austerity had already been exposed by an RTI inquiry which revealed that there were 27 air conditioners placed at his residence in Chandigarh.

The SAD leader also alleged that the Finance Minister preached conservation to others, but spent a large amount of money in modernizing his own office.

READ | 'Walk The Talk': Punjab CM Dares SAD To Pull-out Of The BJP Alliance At The Centre

SAD targets Congress government

Daljit Singh Cheema had said that the taxpayers' money was being spent on expensive trips to Davos, instead of being used to find a solution to the total freeze on development works in Punjab, followed by a notification by the finance department.

The SAD leader added that before leaving for 'Davos', Manpreet Singh Badal did not release the Dearness Allowance dues of State employees which has increased to Rs 4,000 crore.

"The Finance Minister did not care about extending the tenure of the Sixth Pay Commission and even now is refusing to regularise more than 27,000 contractual employees whose case was cleared by the erstwhile SAD-BJP government", Cheema said.

READ | Were You 'blind' When Power Purchase Pacts Signed, Manpreet Asks SAD

He advised that the government should ban foreign trips instead of eliminating an army of advisors and officers on the trips. Devising a plan to improve the financial health of Punjab, Cheema said the government should consider deducting wasteful expenditure, inefficiencies and large-scale corruption that is paralyzing the government's functioning.

"Then only should finance ministers of Punjab be allowed to extol about their word at summits abroad. It is of no use to attend such events and waste public money when your own house is in disorder and needs urgent attention", he added.

READ | Finance Ministry to showcase achievements of financial inclusion drive on January 26

(With inputs from ANI)

Advertisement

Published January 24th, 2020 at 14:32 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

RR vs DC
a few seconds ago
Supriya Shrinate clarification
2 minutes ago
vk saxena
6 minutes ago
Shahjahan Sheikh in CBI Custody: First Visual Emerges | WATCH
6 minutes ago
AR Rahman, Ram Charan
10 minutes ago
File Photo of PM Narendra Modi
12 minutes ago
Elon Musk X lawsuit
12 minutes ago
Five Animals With Amazing Camouflaging Abilities
18 minutes ago
Hardik Pandya
18 minutes ago
India Registers stern objection to US remarks on Kejriwal
19 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo