State Congress stopping flow of central grants to Punjab: Prakash Sing Badal

Gurdaspur: Reports in a section of the local media related to alleged comments by Union Minister Jairam Ramesh that the state Congress leadership was opposing central grants for the state had exposed the anti-Punjab stance of the party, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Sunday.

Interacting with reporters in Gurdaspur on the sidelines of the second day of his Sangat Darshan programme in the Qadian Assembly segment, the CM said that Ramesh's statement had vindicated the view of the SAD-BJP government that it was the state Congress leadership which was a "stumbling block" in the path of development in Punjab.

A few vernacular dailies in the state recently reported a quote attributed to Rural Development Minister Ramesh that leaders of Punjab Congress were stopping central grants from coming to the state. He said that it reflected the "narrow approach" of Punjab Congress leaders towards the larger issues concerning the state.

"Instead of resorting to such tactics, Congress leaders must join the state government for seeking more funds to ensure unprecedented development in Punjab," he said. Replying to another query, the CM said that before asking the state government to construct a memorial for the victims of militancy in Punjab, the state Congress leadership must ask the Union government to build one.

He said that Congress had been at the helms of affairs at the Centre for the last decade and if the party's leaders wanted the memorial constructed, they should have pressurised their government for doing so.

Referring to the Food Security and Land Acquisition Bills, which were last week cleared by Lok Sabha, the CM said that the Union government was a "copy cat".

Explaining, he said that although Congress leaders were claiming credit for the two Bills, it was on record that both had been borrowed by the Centre from Punjab. He said that while the Food Security Bill had been copied from the 'Atta-Dal' scheme, his government's decision to not to acquire even an inch of land without the express consent of farmers had inspired the Land Acquisition Bill.