Manoranjan Kalia, BJP leader, former state minister, and National Executive Member, on Saturday said that the Punjab Government had incurred a debt of Rs 6,500 crore in the past two months, yet did not have the money to pay Dearness Allowance (DA) to its employees.
The remarks were made by Kalia during a press conference at the Jalandhar Press Club. Former Cabinet Minister Kalia was accompanied by BJP District President Sushil Sharma and party leaders Sarabjit Makkar and Rajesh Kapoor.
During the press conference, the BJP leaders criticised the Punjab government and the Aam Aadmi Party for pushing the state deeper into debt.
Kalia said that the AAP government’s tenure was nearing its end, but its priority seemed to be burdening Punjab with more debt. He alleged that the government was taking loans to fund its campaign activities, while claiming it had no money to pay DA to government employees and officials.
Kalia said that the government had informed the court that it lacked the funds to pay DA to employees, despite the court ruling on May 21 that DA must be paid.
Kalia said, “On the one hand, the government files an affidavit in the High Court stating that it does not have money to pay its employees. On the other hand, it increases the state’s debt by Rs 6,500 crore in two months. While the government spends crores on advertisements, none of the borrowed money or advertisement expenditure is being used to pay DA to employees, which lays bare its intentions.”
He also alleged that, under the guise of providing ration items such as salt, oil, and sugar to people in the final year of the government’s tenure, forms were being filled out and personal information was being collected for use during elections. He claimed that the same was happening in the Jalandhar Central constituency.
Kalia further alleged that the state government had pushed Punjab’s debt to Rs 5.57 lakh crore and made Punjab’s debt-to-GSTP ratio the highest in the country.
Responding to Harbhajan Singh’s allegations regarding the AAP allegedly offering Rajya Sabha seats in exchange for money, Kalia said, “Why is AAP silent on the charges made by Harbhajan Singh? It must explain how a former Rajya Sabha member, who is currently in jail, was appointed as a minister. How was he made a minister?”
Kalia claimed that the BJP would form the government in Punjab in February 2027 and install its own Chief Minister. “Our fight is with everyone,” he said.
When asked about rising petrol and diesel prices, Kalia said, “It is an international issue and crisis. Prices were increased by all countries; India, in fact, did it later than others.”
On the BJP’s possible alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, Kalia said, “Only time will tell.”
