AAP calls Modi's Punjab visit a flop show over missing financial package
Punjab Aam Aadmi Party chief spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the state as a 'flop show'
Punjab Aam Aadmi Party chief spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the state as a 'flop show', alleging that Punjab did not get any financial package from the Centre. At a press conference, Dhaliwal and AAP leader Gurpratap Singh said the BJP had failed to protect Punjab's interests and accused the Centre of withholding more than Rs 50,000 crore under the Rural Development Fund and other departments. Read Full Story Dhaliwal said the Bhagwant Mann government was borrowing to spend on hospitals, schools, roads, healthcare and welfare schemes, while alleging that the Centre favoured big industrialists.
He also accused the BJP of misusing public faith in the name of the Ram temple and made allegations over donations collected for its construction. Criticising the Centre's ethanol blending policy, Dhaliwal said mixing 20 per cent ethanol with petrol had increased the financial burden on consumers instead of reducing fuel costs. He questioned the legal basis of the policy and asked the Centre to explain how it benefited the public. On the issue of drugs, he alleged that the problem had spread during the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government in Punjab.
He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had repeatedly asked the Centre to install modern anti-drone systems along Punjab's 532-km international border to check cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons, but alleged that no effective action had been taken. Dhaliwal also said the prime minister had remained silent on farmers' issues during the visit. He claimed the Centre had not fulfilled its promise of Rs 1,600 crore for flood relief and had not addressed concerns over the impact of the proposed India-US trade agreement on Punjab's farmers.
He added that the Punjab government had given compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre and other relief to flood-affected farmers, while accusing the Centre of failing to provide adequate assistance. Overall, Dhaliwal used the press conference to accuse the Centre of ignoring Punjab's financial, farming and border-security concerns, while defending the state government's spending on public services and relief measures. Ends
The BriefWire