"The akalis should stop justifying their faults and bad mouthing the Congress led government on the issue of holistic development of the state across all sectors as the dark reality of their decade long rule has been unmasked by the Union Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry.Disclosing this here today, the Local Government Minister, Punjab, Mr. Navjot Singh Sidhu revealed that the Union Minister Mr. Venkaiah Naidu in his communication to the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has pointed out glaring irregularities of financial nature in the matter pertaining to release of Central and State share of funds to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Putting previous government firmly in the dock on basis of facts, the minister further said that as per the communication not only the State's share was not released but there was delay in releasing Central Government's share too making it an anomaly of a very grave nature.
The minister further elaborated that as per the stand of the Union Ministry, the recruitment of persons with professional expertise in ULBs is being funded by it but the State Government didn't fill up the positions which calls for an explanation by the previous regime which often takes recourse to moral high ground on every issue and try to browbeat progress centric agenda of the Congress Government.Bringing more acts of omission and commission by the previous regime to the fore, Mr. Sidhu said that although the akalis kept harping on smart city mission but the fact is that no project has been tendered so far while AMRUT mission is also in the midst of glitches besides only one ULB being declared ODF thus putting much touted swachh bharat mission in jeopardy. Taking the attack right into the opposition ranks, Mr. Sidhu thundered that with these startling revelations coming to the fore, with what face the SAD-BJP would go to the people as it is the Union Government led by BJP which has landed a severe punch to the combine.Severely castigating SAD-BJP, the minister said that the former Chief Minister and former Deputy Chief Minister should come forth and be answerable to the public about their hollow claims in the name of development. He also said that the people of Punjab would never forgive the unholy alliance for this huge betrayal and bartering away the interests of the state.