Chandigarh: Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday staged a protest outside the Punjab Development Commission (PDC) office here, alleging that the institution has bypassed constitutional bodies to act as a “den of corruption” for looting state resources.Addressing the media, Jakhar alleged that chief minister Bhagwant Mann had surrendered governance to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who in turn appointed non-state actors to high-salaried commission posts to plunder Punjab.Jakhar claimed the commission has over 85 appointees drawing between ₹1.5 crore and ₹1.7 crore monthly from the state treasury, specifying monthly salaries of ₹3.3 lakh for a senior adviser, ₹2.6 lakh for advisers, chief communications advisers, and chief digital officers, ₹2.2 lakh for joint advisers, and ₹1.4 lakh for deputy advisers.The BJP leader accused the PDC of failing to draft welfare plans, alleging instead that it engages in the illegal collection and sale of public personal data, citing recent data collection drives on drug use as a prime example of potential political or commercial misuse.He further criticised the PDC’s composition, claiming it lacks Punjabi members who understand local realities, while operating without consulting state legislators or ministers.He questioned key policy outcomes, noting that an existing agricultural policy remains unimplemented while school education reforms were reduced to “painting 3,602 schools in AAP’s colours.” He also alleged that PDC officials manipulated power corporation accounts to show paper profits despite losses, while seeking a ₹10,000 crore loan.Questioning the necessity of the PDC when Punjab already has a planning department and planning commission, Jakhar demanded that all development plans prepared by the body be made public immediately or the commission be shut down. He also appealed to IAS officers to uphold legal accountability and avoid bowing to unconstitutional appointees.
