RTI DISCLOSURE
EVEN BEFORE TAKING OATH, BHAGWANT MANN SPENT LAKHS FROM THE GOVERNMENT TREASURY ON THE PARTY'S “VIJAY YATRA”, ITS ILLEGAL TO SPEND ON PARTY'S PROGRAM FROM THE EXCHEQUER, OFFICIALS SHOULD BE MADE ANSWERABLE – MANIK GOYAL, RTI ACTIVIST
Face2News/Chandigarh
The Aam Aadmi Party took out a “Vijay Yatra” at Sri Amritsar Sahib on March 13 to celebrate the victory in Punjab. In which the party called workers from all over Punjab in government buses.
Information obtained through RTI by Mansa resident Manik Goyal surprisingly revealed that instead of spending from party funds on that 'Victory Yatra' of the Aam Aadmi Party, it was from the government treasury. Lakhs of rupees were spent. From lakhs on five star hotel bills, lakhs on decorations, gold-plated swords, phulkari etc. to the Delhi leadership. About 15 lakh rupees were spent on that day, while the big thing is that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann did not even take oath at that time.
“Besides spending these lakhs of rupees on victory celebrations, government buses were used to bring the party workers to Amritsar, on which lakhs of rupees were also spent from the state exchequer. The government is running away from responding,” Goyal said.(SUBHEAD)(MOREPIC1)
Significantly, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took oath as the Chief Minister on March 16, while this “Vijay Yatra” organized at Sri Amritsar Sahib was organized on March 13. Bills worth lakhs were collected from the exchequer, from flex boards to food items were also spent from the state exchequer in the yatra taken out to celebrate this victory
. As per the information obtained in RTI, ₹1,51,851 was spent on lodging and boarding at the five-star hotel Taj Swarna that day, ₹4,83,800 to decorate the streets with fresh flowers, welcome gates to welcome the Delhi leadership ₹75,000, Tents and chairs cost Rs 5,56,424, drums Rs 54,500, flower bouquets Rs 16,800, phulkari Rs 18,000, gold plated swords Rs 34,000, flex Rs 45,398, photographer Rs 17,500 etc. were done.
RTI activist Manik Goel said that before coming to power, Bhagwant Mann used to say that public treasury is empty and it has been misused of people's money. I wonder on whose orders the officials who used this money will spend this money? Till then Bhagwant Mann had not even taken oath and it was a party's celebration program, Didn't they think for a second before spending this illegally? The officials who spend money will have to answer because this illegal spending on party programs is corruption.
Simultaneously, Manik Goyal said that this RTI was given to the DC Amritsar in the month of March, to which he did not reply, then after not responding to the first appeal, presented the second appeal to the State Information Commission. After which this reply was received after five months. The AAP government, which talks about transparency, has narrowed the RTI responses instead of simplifying them.
