CM Mann attacks Centre: Not seeking alms, only state’s dues

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, March 11

Addressing the House during the debate on the Budget, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today hit out at PM Narendra Modi, claiming he had sold “rail, tel, airports, banks and the LIC” and bought “some of the media”.

This was the first open attack against the PM amid talk of Mann’s “cosy ties” with top BJP functionaries. The trigger was BJP legislator Ashwani Sharma accusing the AAP government of criticising the Centre while at the same time seeking funds. “They (BJP leaders) should know that it is our people who collect the GST and give it to the Centre and we only seek our share of the tax,” Mann said.

Stressing that his Finance Minister had presented a common man’s Budget, the CM said: “Arvind Kejriwal’s government started free power and free healthcare facilities, but what does Bade Sahib (PM) say… free ki revdi bantne wale hain. We gave these sops to people from the tax that we collected from them. If this is free ki revdi, I want to ask who gave Rs 15 lakh da papad when they claimed that Rs 15 lakh would be deposited into the bank account of each person,” he asked.

Carrying on the tirade against the BJP-led Union Government for refusing to release Punjab’s dues, Mann said Punjab was not seeking alms from the Centre. The CM also spoke about how Punjab had to fight with the Centre to ferry coal from Odisha mines via rail route.

Reacting to Ashwani Sharma’s claim that Modi had a lot of love for Punjab, Mann pointed out that there was nothing for Punjab in the Union Budget. Also, the state’s tableau for the Republic Day function was rejected.

Asking the Congress to join hands with AAP against the BJP, the CM said: “They have suspended your MPs too as they suspended ours. Think of what is happening in Delhi…They want all flowers in the bouquet to be of one colour, but diversity is our biggest asset.”