take responsibility for financial mess in state, says Channi
Monday, 18/04/2016
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=154714&boxid=58708&uid=&dat=2016-04-18
Chandigarh : Punjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chief Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday called upon the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to own up responsibility for leading the state towards bankruptcy and resign as has been proved from the candid confession of the Food and Supplies Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon that even the cash credit limit for food grains was diverted to fund Atta-Dal scheme in 2010. Channi demanded a registration of case against the Food Supplies Minister for the alleged Rs 12,000 crore food grain scam which has been highlighted by the CAG also, and the entire investigation into the missing food grains from the godowns should be handed over to the CBI.
“All this time, the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has been denying financial crisis that Punjab has been confronting for the last several years and giving presentations even in Delhi that was more of an exercise to cover up the misdeeds and financial bungling. Now Kairon has himself admitted that more than Rs 800 crore were diverted in 2010 to finance Atta-Dal scheme for blue card holders. This is the amount sanctioned by the Reserve Bank of India to make payments to the farmers for the crops procured. It is evident that the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that the state government diverted even part of this loan,” he added.
He said Badal must own up moral responsibility and resign as he has failed to administer the state with Punjab going deeper and deeper into the morass. He made it clear that it is the people of Punjab who were indirectly funding welfare schemes meant for them but with a heavy cost as the same would be recovered from them by way of other means like heavy taxation. The situation was now so alarming that loans were being raised to repay earlier loans and Punjab had entered into a vicious circle, all due to mismanagement of the present dispensation.
