Congress capitalises on Jaitley’s snub to Badal, rejection of a financial package for Punjab has embarassed the Chief Minister. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys refusal to give Punjab a special financial package has shocked CM Parkash Singh Badal, who heads the Akali Dal-BJP combine, and has left him vulnerable to attacks from the opposition Congress. Badal was one of the first to predict that Jaitley would become Finance Minister, saying during the Lok Sabha election campaign that truckloads of cash would come to the state with Jaitley as FM. But when Badal requested a financial package for the state, Jaitley refused, writing back that Punjab needed to rationalise its power subsidy. He reminded Badal that the UPA government had given the state substantial financial assistance, specially pointing out the Rs 4,431 cr in Central taxes that were devolved in 2013-14. The Congress says that now that even the BJP has acknowledged that Punjab had received grants from the UPA, Badal must explain where the money has gone and why the states fiscal situation has deteriorated. Praising Jaitleys letter, the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Amarinder Singh said the letter has exposed Badals lies about discrimination by the Centre. In a scathing attack, Amarinder said: The problem, Mr Badal, does not lie at the Centre or anywhere else, it lies in your head, which has stopped thinking. He further alleged that Punjab had got the maximum money during the UPAs term, but the Badals have either misappropriated or squandered it in an archaic and unplanned way on programmes like his favourite pastime of Sangat Darshans (open meetings between the CM and the public). Jaitleys decision has also been welcomed by economics experts who say that the state is to be blamed for its financial mess, which they say is the result of its shoddy tax collection and ever-rising subsidy bills. The beleaguered Badal has not given up though and is still hopeful that Jaitley will bail out the state, which has a debt burden of well over Rs 1 lakh crore. Hitting out at the Congress for trying to spoil its relations with the BJP, the Akali Dal claims that the central government has promised to consider the request after the report of 14th Finance Commission is submitted. Wasting no time, the state government has submitted a memorandum to the Finance Commission seeking debt relief and loan repayment restructuring.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:00:03 +0000
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