Congress finding excuses for non fulfillment of loan waiver promise, says Parkash Singh Badal
Chandigarh: Former Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal said here on Thursday that by linking its promise on loan waiver to farmers with the demand for a central package, the Congress govt 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 Center should be de-linked from the Congress poll promise of loan waiver as that promise was not made on behalf Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi but was meant to be fulfilled by the state government," Mr Badal said. Mr Badal said that loan waiver promise should be de-linked from the demand for a package. In a statement here, Mr Badal said: “The Chief Minister should have announced the 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 government of India 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. " 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.” Mr Badal said that the Congress govt in Punjab did no home work before the Delhi meeting and merely presented a copy of the old demand for a package to the center, 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 a 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,” Mr Badal said. Mr Badal hoped that the Congress govt 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 govt will only make a laughing stock of itself if it does that. Besides, that will be extremely dishonest and hypocritical. Please honour your promises straightaway and don’t look for excuses,” he asked the Congress govt in Punjab. Mr Badal said that Punjab government’s note to the PM 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." Mr Badal described Punjab government’s references to the BJP promise on loan waiver in UP as "laughable" . "The promise made by the BJP in UP has to be fulfilled by the state government there. The manifesto promises in state elections is only about what the party would do if it forms govt in the state. These are the state government's commitments. The Congress party did not prepare the manifesto on behalf of Mr Narendra Modi. It is wrong now to push the responsibility for your poll promises to the Centre," Mr Badal said.
