Opposition mocks at govt after Jaitley ‘snub’
Saturday, 06/09/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140906/punjab.htm#4
Chandigarh : The refusal by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to accept Punjab's demand for a special package has given ammunition to the opposition parties in the state to target the SAD-BJP government.
The parties opposed to the ruling alliance today mocked at the government for failing to secure any financial package from the NDA Government, of which the Akali Dal too was a constituent.
People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal alleged the denial of package had not only exposed the tenuous relationship between the SAD and the BJP, but had also shattered the myth created by the alliance that the change in leadership at the Centre would translate into huge grants for Punjab.
Manpreet reminded the SAD that as Punjab's Finance Minister, he had taken up the case of the rising debt burden with the UPA Government, “and that the response was encouraging, but his moves were scuttled deliberately”.
PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa said the state government stood exposed on the issue of central assistance. "This has vindicated our stand that the UPA Government had always gone out of the way to allocate funds for Punjab. The Badal government had all along been alleging discrimination,” he said.
