Manpreet engineered fake loan waiver, alleges SAD

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 24

The SAD-BJP alliance today accused Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal of engineering a fake loan waiver. They accused him of making promises without making any provision in the Budget to implement these.

Addressing the media, SADchief Sukhbir Badal asked Manpreet to make it clear whether all loans of farmers were covered under the waiver or was it restricted to just crop loans? He also asked the FM to clear stance on loans from commercial banks, commission agents and other non-institutional sources. “There is a feeling that a fraud is being committed with small farmers as medium and rich farmers who take crop loans will get the benefit,” he said.

He said no provision had been made in the Budget for providing power at Rs 5 per unit. “As per our estimate, the state needs Rs 2,800 crore for this. Though my younger brother (Manpreet) has made announcements like free tea leaves and sugar for poor families, hike in shagun amount and social security pensions, he should explain when these will be implemented,” he said.

The SAD president also demanded that Manpreet should tell Punjabis how he planned to bridge Rs 10,273 crore funding gap in his Budget. “This gap exists despite taking all income, including GST share, into account. Now if you consider the loan waiver (Rs 8,500 as announced by the CM) and power to industry at Rs 5 per unit (Rs 2,800 crore) besides other schemes, the fund gap will increase to nearly Rs 25,000 crore,” he claimed.