Centre 'withholding' funds for Punjab at behest of AAP's rivals: Arvind Kejriwal

PTI

Bathinda, December 17

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday slammed the Centre for “withholding” funds for Punjab, claiming the BJP-led Union government is doing so as his party’s rivals have asked it to stop development work in the state.

Addressing a ‘Vikas Kranti’ rally here, Kejriwal also alleged that Akali and Congress governments did not do anything for the welfare of Punjab.

The Delhi chief minister and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann launched development projects worth Rs 1,125 crore for Bathinda on the occasion.

Kejriwal accuses the Centre of not providing trains for carrying pilgrims under the state’s ‘Mukhya Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana’

“All the parties are upset and they have turned against us. They came together and approached the Centre, asking it to do something to stop our work. (They told the Centre) do not allow them (AAP) to work. If they (AAP) do so much work, then we (rival parties) will be doomed,” said Kejriwal.

“All these parties went to the Centre, which did the dirty work. They stopped Punjab’s funds for health,” he charged.

But the Mann government opened mohalla clinics at many places, he said.

Kejriwal further slammed the Centre for withholding Rs 5,500 crore of rural development funds for constructing roads in mandis.

But Chief Minister Mann said he will build more roads, he said.

Kejriwal also accused the Centre of not providing trains for carrying pilgrims under the state’s ‘Mukhya Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana’.

“They (Centre) stopped trains going towards Patna Sahib and Nanded Sahib. They have stopped providing trains to the state. A letter has come from the Centre, saying it will not provide trains for offering prayers,” he claimed.

“If you stop someone from offering prayers, then God will not forgive you,” he added.

But the Punjab chief minister is committed to taking people to Nanded Sahib and Patna Sahib and will find a way to do it, the AAP national convener said.

The AAP government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Railways for providing trains to take pilgrims to different religious places under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana’.

The Centre had earlier tried to stop work in Delhi in the same manner. It tried to stop work on Mohalla Clinics, CCTVs and roads, Kejriwal said, adding he did not let any work stop.

Similarly, all work will be completed in Punjab, he said.

The AAP government has announced a package of Rs 1,125 crore for Bathinda. It will ensure all-round development of the district, Kejriwal said.

Seven new government schools will be constructed and education will be free. This money will be used to build hospitals and 13 more Mohalla Clinics will come up, he said.

In the last 75 years, Kejriwal said, SAD, SAD-BJP and Congress governments ruled the state but none of them announced such a package for Bathinda.

“When you used to ask them, they used to say they did not have money. We had gone to Gurdaspur recently and we announced a package of Rs 1,850 crore and before that Hoshiarpur got a Rs 850-crore package,” he said.

“(Former chief ministers) Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal used to say that the state coffers are empty. When our government was formed, we found that they used to indulge in rampant corruption.

“We found a lot of wasteful expenditure was being done during the previous regimes. One road used to be built 10 times on paper, whereas in reality it was never built,” he said.

Now, there will be no dearth of money, the AAP chief said.

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