Punjab’s former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday said that by linking its promise on loan waiver to farmers with the demand for a central package, the Congress Government in Punjab was “finding escape routes” to run away from their promise on loan waiver to farmers.
“The demand for the financial package from the Centre should be de-linked from the Congress poll promise of loan waiver as that promise was not made on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but was meant to be fulfilled by the state government,” he said.
Badal said that the Chief Minister should have announced loan waiver in a cabinet decision before going to New Delhi. He should have presented the Centre with a fact accomplished and then insisted on the package from the Central Government to help the state.
“That was the proper course. But the central fiscal package as such has nothing to do with the Congress promises on loan waiver,” he said.
The former Chief Minister, however, said that he would urge the Prime Minister to announce this package for the state as soon as possible. “Punjab not only needs it but its farmers richly deserve it also. I fully endorse the demand for a package as it is actually a demand made by the SAD-BJP government. But Punjab government should not ask the Centre to fulfill the promises made by the Congress party,” he added.
Badal said that the Congress government did no homework before Delhi meeting and merely presented a copy of the old demand for a package to the Centre, only updating the final figure.
“We have ourselves demanded this package several times. Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister rejected it out of hand even though he announced Rs 70,000 crore relief to farmers in some southern states, ignoring the claims of Punjab farmers, though Punjab was the worst hit by drought at that time,” he added.
Badal hoped that the Congress government would not go back on its promises like hike in pension and Shagun scheme amounts, unemployment allowance, jobs to 30 lakh youth etc by diverting these to the Centre. “That will be absurd and the Punjab government will only make a laughing stock of itself if it does that,” he said.
Besides, that will be extremely dishonest and hypocritical, he said asking the government to honour its promises straightaway and don’t look for excuses.
Badal pointed that Punjab government’s note to the Prime Minister proves that it already has all the data it needs to order a loan waiver and there was no need to set up a committee to study the details. “The committee is merely an excuse and escape route to betray the farmers on loan waiver. I hope they don’t answer all demands with formation of committees only,” he said.