Chandigarh, March 13
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday said the ruling AAP and opposition Congress were working in tandem in the assembly to divert attention from key public issues.
Talking to reporters here, he said the two parties have a tacit understanding under which the opposition avoided raising people’s issues and instead staged walkouts while the government continued to pass resolutions contrary to public welfare.
Jakhar said a special assembly session was convened in July 2025 to bring a law on sacrilege, but even after seven months, the government has not approved a draft of the proposed legislation.
If the government was serious about the issue, it should present the draft law during the current session, he said, adding that justice is still awaited in cases related to sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.
Citing reports, the BJP leader said PRTC buses were being sent to Palsana in Rajasthan’s Sikar district for body fabrication and painting in AAP colours.
The work is being carried out by Rex Pipe and Cable Industries Ltd, he said, claiming that individuals linked to the company were instrumental in installing bus bodies during the previous Congress government.
The chief minister had earlier spoken about corruption in that case, yet no action has been taken against the former Congress minister concerned. Instead, the issue appeared to be turning into another scam involving both old and new players, he said.
The BJP leader dared Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa to raise the matter in the assembly.
While the government was organising investment summits in the state, buses were being sent nearly 500 kilometres away to Rajasthan for painting, instead of the industrial units in Jalandhar, he said, asking whose financial interests were involved.
Attacking the government over the mining sector, Jakhar cited official figures to claim that the state earned Rs 21.70 crore as royalty from legal mining but collected Rs 79.29 crore as fines from illegal mining. He said another Rs 89.23 crore was also shown as recovered, though its source was unclear.
These figures indicated that illegal mining was taking place on a much larger scale than legal mining, he said, accusing the government of allowing it under its patronage.
According to the National Green Tribunal, a truck caught in illegal mining should be fined Rs 4 lakh, but the state government was imposing fines of only around Rs 6,000, he said, describing this as proof of collusion.
He said the tribunal had imposed penalties worth Rs 180 crore on 13 crushers, while more than 400 crushers were operating in the state.
He further claimed that the government was planning to bring a law to override the tribunal’s orders, which would allow continued exploitation of Punjab’s natural resources.
Referring to a claim by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal that Punjab could generate Rs 20,000 crore from mining, Jakhar said such revenue would be possible only if the penalty rates suggested by the tribunal were implemented.
With legal mining generating only about Rs 21 crore, he alleged that the state’s natural resources were being exploited and the money was going elsewhere.
Jakhar said people have begun to see the reality of illegal mining in the state and would give their response in the 2027 elections.
