Chandigarh, April 2 (IANS): Amid reports about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab planning to raise loan, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday slammed the AAP for making deceitful claims about the fiscal health of the state.

Bajwa said the government is planning to take Rs 12,000 crore as a debt from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in April, May and June. “It is just the beginning of the new financial year (2024-25), and the AAP government's poor management of the economy has been exposed.

“The AAP government raised a loan of Rs 3,899 crore in January and February and Rs 3,800 crore in March. Similarly, AAP took a heavy loan last year. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema boasted about presenting Rs 204,918 crore budget for 2024-25. However, he did not inform that the government was planning to increase the debt burden of the state to fulfil its promises,” Congress leader Bajwa said in a statement.

He said the outstanding debt has been projected at Rs 374,091 crore at the end of 2024-25.

“However, the debt on the state till 2023-24 was Rs 3.43 lakh crore. Is this how the AAP has been managing the economy of the state?”