‘Has money for ads, but not salaries’: BJP’s spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla targets AAP

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Wednesday (September 7, 2022) hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over delay in the payment of salaries to state government employees. Poonawalla’s remarks came soon after the Punjab government cleared the salaries of its employees for the month of August following a week-long delay. 

“AAP Govt has money for ads but no money for 1) Salaries of Punjab Govt staff 2) No money to re imburse hospitals giving free treatment to poor in Punjab 3) No money for teacher’s salaries in Delhi or for DDU college 4) No money for athletes who win medals & make India proud,” said Poonawalla in a tweet over the Punjab salary issue. 

AAP Govt has money for ads but no money for
1) Salaries of Punjab Govt staff
2) No money to re imburse hospitals giving free treatment to poor in Punjab
3) No money for teacher’s salaries in Delhi or for DDU college
4) No money for athletes who win medals & make India proud pic.twitter.com/5i0wGPRzCE — Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) September 7, 2022

The Punjab government yesterday released Rs 3,400 crore towards the salaries of its staffers for the month of August. 

Finance Minister Harpal Cheema informed that the delay was not because of the unavaliability of the fundsbut because the government had to regularise 9,000 contractual and ad hoc employees. Cheema confirmed that every employee will receive salary in his/her account by Wednesday evening. 

“For the last few months, we have been continuously confirming jobs and giving new jobs. We have provided more than 17,000 new jobs within six months,” said Cheema.

“It took us some time to create a new salary structure, the salary of Group C and Group D had already been given,” he said.

He also took a swipe at BJP saying, “How much money should be deposited in sinking fund? Why are you spending all your money on distributing “political ravines”? How many jobs have been given to people till now?”