A day after Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav termed the Congress a party of cheats, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the Centre was doing its best to provide all help to the UP Government.
“I must assure Netaji (as Mulayam Singh is called) that the Union Government will support the SP regime in taking the State to a new high because CM Akhilesh Yadav is doing exemplary good work,” said Chidambaram soon after inaugurating 300 bank branches in the State.
The Finance Minister’s statement assumes importance because it came in the wake of recent statements of Mulayam Singh Yadav who had charged the Congress of ditching the country and forecast that the lok Sabha polls could be held in November.
Chidambaram even put UP in a bigger bracket as he said: “A developed UP will help taking India forward. The Centre has never discriminated with any State including UP and has always tried to fulfil its demands.”
“The CM has asked for funds in several projects. I will call Akhilesh along and his officials to New Delhi shortly to discuss it and I assure him all possible assistance,” said the Minister referring to the meeting with the CM where the latter had asked for more funds for UP.
Chidambaram said that every State has the right to demand funds for its development and the Centre always tries to meet the expectations of the State Government.
The UP Government sought funds for irrigation, urban infrastructure projects and National Highways. The Centre was also asked to consider providing viability gap funding of the lucknow-Agra Expressway.
Giving details about the funds allocated to UP, Chidambaram said the State was given Rs96,224 crore as their share on Central taxes besides the annual allocation had been hiked to Rs57,800 crore in 2012-13 from Rs47,000 crore sanctioned in 2011-12.
“Similarly, 24 Central projects each of over Rs150 crore are being implemented in the State costing around Rs18,550 crore,” the Union Minister said.