Chandigarh, November 17
Amid a sea of rumours and reports of all sorts doing the rounds in the corridors of the Punjab civil secretariat and media circles about his resignation, his troubled relationship with his cousin Sukhbir Singh Badal and uncle Parkash Singh Badal, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal today broke his silence. “No one is as close to Sukhbir Badal as I am. If anyone thinks otherwise, he is sadly mistaken,” said Manpreet.

“I started with Sukhbir Badal as a little kid and would remain with him till the last. There is so much affection between us but we never make public display of it. I and Sukhbir are of the same age, we grew together in the same house and shared a proud lineage. So, there is no question of my having any conflict with him,” he said.

“All those who are spreading such rumours should realise that all is well as far as my relations with Sukhbir and Parkash Singh Badal are concerned ,” he asserted, replying to a question regarding rumours of his resigning as the finance minister.

Speaking to The Tribune exclusively about his equation with Sukhbir, Manpreet said “I am happy that Sukhbir is leading the SAD and its future is in his hands. I am for his success as leader of the party. Sukhbir and I follow party agenda. There is no personal agenda. National parties have other goals but as a regional party SAD’s only goal is to enhance the glory of Punjab,” he added. Asked about reports that he is opposed to Sukhbir as the chief minister, he said “all such reports are false.”

On his relations with Parkash Singh Badal, Manpreet said, “he is so kind and benevolent to me that I cannot dream to cause a little bit of embarrassment to him in any manner. Because of him I am in politics and owing to him I became an MLA four times from Gidderbaha, from where he (Parkash Singh) had won earlier seven times in a row, he adds.

“Whenever I comment on Punjab’s economy, it is presented as conflict of ideas between me and Sukhbir,” he adds. Neither I, nor the two Badals are responsible for Punjab’s decline from the top position. Punjab had been facing tough times on economic front for the past 25 years and I am sad about it. “I want to rectify what has gone wrong with the state,” he adds.

Asked about reports regarding his tendering the resignation as finance minister, Manpreet said it was all baseless. “How can I resign as finance minister when I enjoy this job the most.”

Asked as to why did he stay away from his office for about a week then, Manpreet said he was away to Dehradun to celebrate the Diwali with son Arjun, who is in a Doon school from where he returned to Gidderbaha. “But I did all official work even during my stay at Gidderbaha. I signed all files, including the one to give DA to employees, the giving of which he fully justified, two days before the Diwali and later a file regarding giving subsidy to the PSEB in lieu of rolling back of hiked power tariff,” he said.

As I am part of the SAD and the state government, I am supposed to abide by collective decisions taken by the both and implement the same whatever may be my personal views on any issue, he clarified.