Punjab financially worst-hit under Modi govt, says Bajwa

Friday, 12/12/2014

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SRI HARGOBINDPUR (GURDASPUR) : PPunjab Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre had dealt another severe blow to the SAD-BJP government in the state by rejecting their plea for allocating ` 2,330 crore as the drought relief.

“The Modi government has hardened its attitude towards this state despite the fact that the BJP was a partner here. However, even the BJP leaders from the state have been sitting like passive observers of the deepening crisis,” Bajwa said while was addressing a public gathering here on Thursday.

“I will like to remind chief minister Parkash Singh Badal that for years, he has been alleging discrimination by the UPA government, headed by Dr Manmohan Singh who was not only the first Sikh prime minister of the country but also belonged to Amritsar. Badal had taken action against the Akali leaders who had welcomed his elevation. Badal must have now realised that it was Dr Singh who was too liberal towards Punjab despite the fact that he (Badal) had virtually disowned the first Sikh Prime Minister for which he must now seek forgiveness. He also owes an explanation to the people about this discriminatory attitude of the Modi government towards the state where his own party is a partner”, he added.

Bajwa said the rejection of drought relief package to the farmers in this food bowl of the country reflected not only the failure of Badal and his government but also his letting down by the BJP.

He recalled that in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Badal and his son and the Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had raised the hopes of the people to a very high level, saying Punjab would get “tonnes of money” once Modi became the Prime Minister.

“However, Modi is the Prime Minister now, but the people have no idea in whose pockets that tonnes of money had gone, in case it was sent. Both father and son must clarify the real position before the people as the financial condition of the state was in such a mess that even teachers have not been getting salaries for months as the coffers are empty and for day-to-day affairs, the dependence is on advances under ways and means,” he said.

He suggested to Badal that this was high time that his government lodged an FIR with the police in the police station of its choice that the trucks of money dispatched by the Modi government to Punjab had gone missing on the way.