Congress Leader Navjot Singh Sidhu in Punjab Requests RTI Information Regarding AAP Government’s Aircraft Expenditure

Congressman Navjot Singh Sidhu demanded information on the Bhagwant Mann administration’s usage of a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft on Wednesday, accusing it of wasting taxpayer funds for “luxury sorties” for AAP campaigns in other states.

In a letter to the Punjab Civil Aviation Department secretary, Sidhu requested the information in accordance with the Right to Information Act.

The Congress representative said that during the last 1.5 years, the Aam Aadmi Party administration had used the aircraft to campaign for candidates in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and other states.

“I require information on numerous accounts under RTI,” he said. “It has come to my attention that the Punjab administration has on several occasions utilized the official state helicopter and also chartered fixed-wing aircraft for campaigns and travels involving party activities.

I sincerely ask you to tell the following people because the state government must compensate for the financial strain brought on by the hire of fixed-wing aircraft,” the former minister wrote.

“First, on how many occasions did the state government hire a private jet in the last 1.5 years, where were all the aircraft taken, for what reason, and what was the total bill of all the flights and hiring of aircraft, including aircraft rent and airport charges,” Sidhu wrote.

The Congress leader said that it has come to his attention that the state helicopter was also used for political reasons in a number of states.

In this context, I too request comparable information,” he said.

The former MLA wrote, “Since your department is in charge of hiring and paying the expenses, also inform that what is the per hour hiring cost of fixed-wing aircraft.”

The former Congress leader afterwards questioned reporters why taxpayer money was being used for “luxury sorties” and “why the theft of Punjab’s resources is taking place.”

He said that the planes were utilized for political campaigning in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and other states.

Sidhu criticized the AAP administration for its handling of the state debt, saying, “What was said and what is happening now.”

If Punjab continues to raise money in this manner, it would become bankrupt, he said.