'Past five years saw serious disconnect between people, govt': Punjab Guv takes a dig at Congress
Punjab Governor Purohit made the remarks without naming the previous Congress-led regime in his address to the year’s first session of the Vidhan Sabha.
Past five years saw a serious disconnect between people and the government as "rulers" considered themselves "masters" and the public their "servile subjects", Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit said in the state Assembly on Monday.
Purohit made the remarks without naming the previous Congress-led regime in his address to the year’s first session of the Vidhan Sabha.
Outlining the AAP government's roadmap for the next five years in the state, the governor said the government is committed to rooting out illegal syndicates in transport, liquor and sand mining with a zero tolerance towards corruption.
He also spoke on improving health and education sectors, establishing the rule of law in letter and spirit, delivering government services on people’s doorstep, curbing the drug menace and a thorough probe into the sacrilege incidents.
"The past five years have seen a serious disconnect between people and the government. The rulers became inaccessible, not only to the common people but even to their representatives," Purohit said.
"They began to look at themselves as masters and people as their servile subjects. This ran against the very concept of democracy in which people alone are the masters and those in the government have to function as their conscientious servants," the Governor added.
"To my government, accessibility is the cornerstone on which the edifice of its relationship of trust and mutual affection with the people rests," he added.
He said the major area of concern for his government was the "injection of bitterness, personal as well as political, into the affairs of the state".
"Character assassination, which has never been a component of Punjabi culture, became the norm. This tendency was also at the root of the confrontationist politics that Punjab saw during the past years. People of the state have clearly rebuffed this confrontationist tendency by voting in favour of an agenda for good governance and development," he added.
He said his government believes that in democracy "people are the king".
"My government is committed to ending all sorts of illegal syndicates in transport, liquor, and sand mining in the state. These anti-social elements have looted Punjab in the past during previous regimes and deprived the state exchequer of the funds to the tune of thousands of crore, which could have been used for the welfare of common people," said Purohit.
The Governor said the existing hospitals will be made world class and new ones will be developed on a large scale.
"Every citizen of the state will get treatment completely free in government hospitals of the quality that private hospitals provide," he said.
He also talked about making permanent recruitment against existing vacant posts and said the government will formulate a policy for the regularisation of outsourced and contractual teachers.
He said his government is committed to give free electricity up to 300 units to each household, with which about 80 per cent of them will get zero power bill.
The previous government had resorted to a false propaganda of cheaper power in Punjab and the false claim of waiver of all domestic bill arrears or unpaid bills but nothing has happened in reality, he said.
Stating that his government is committed to ensure round-the-clock power supply, he said it would take two to three years for implementation as infrastructure upgrade will be required.
Stressing that previous governments neglected medical colleges, Purohit said students of poor and middle-class families with good ranks cannot afford medical study while students of wealthy families get seats despite mediocre rank.
"These aspiring students belonging to ordinary and middle-class families are compelled to go to countries like Ukraine," he said.
Stating that a conducive atmosphere for trade and industry will be created, he said neither any new tax will be imposed nor existing tax will be enhanced in next five years.
A scheme for women empowerment will be formulated, in which Rs 1,000 per month to every woman will be given, he said.
He said his government is committed to give an honest government to people so that no one dares to commit any crime and there is a peaceful atmosphere.
"All cases of the bomb blast, sacrilege, including Bargari sacrilege, operations of gangsters in the state etc. will be investigated thoroughly so that all guilty, including their masterminds, are brought to book," he said.
He said borders of the state will be protected meticulously so that no terrorist could enter it and there is no smuggling of drugs from across the border.
He also touched upon the issue of "severe economic crisis" and said while quoting a RBI report that the state's debt-GSDP ratio is 42.5 per cent, the highest after Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
"This clearly puts Punjab as the most indebted big state in India," he said.
Stating that the government will work to bring back heydays of Punjab, he said people of Punjab have overwhelmingly voted for change and gave a historic mandate.
"This mandate is of hope and aspiration," said the Governor.