Can’t seek Centre’s help to keep poll promises: Badal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24

Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that there was no reason for Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to react so “peevishly” to the SAD-BJP asking him not to link the Congress poll promise of loan waiver with a Central fiscal package for Punjab.

“Where was the need to get so worked up? I have said categorically that I and my party and alliance partners support him in his demand for a package. All I said was that the promise of waiving farmers’ loan, jobs to 30 lakh households, doubling pensions and more than tripling the shagun amount etc should not be made dependent on Punjab getting this package,” said Badal.

“The two should be de-linked and the state government should immediately take a Cabinet decision on loan waiver, filling of vacancies and other promises made by the Congress in its manifesto. They have all information and detailed data they need on the problems and there is no reason for setting up committees to study the problems now,” said the former CM.

He, however, appreciated the CM’s statement in which the latter said that he was against the politics of confrontation and vendetta.