No MSP surety for farmers, says Punjab AAP on Interim Budget

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 1

Finance Minister Harpal Cheema today said the Interim Budget, presented by the BJP government at the Centre, was as dismal as it has been in the past nine years.

“For nine years, people of the country have been waiting for “acche din”, but these seem elusive. We were hopeful that some announcement would be made for taking the country towards, but the Budget was disappointing,” he said.

The FM said they had hope that the Centre would show some large heartedness and release the pending dues of Punjab, held back for political considerations. “This is injustice towards the state and we will continue to have to fight to get our dues of Rs 1,800 crore from the Centre,” he said, adding that this showed the discriminatory attitude of the Centre towards Punjab.

He said Punjab is an agricultural state. Farmers were continuously demanding guarantee of the MSP on all crops from the Central Government. For this, they had protested on the Delhi border for more than a year. But no special provisions had been made for farmers in this Budget.

This Budget had also disappointed the youth. The BJP came to power by promising to provide two crore jobs every year, but in the name of employment, it gave ‘jumle’ and Agniveer scheme to the youth. Actually the BJP government was a jumla government. It was a party that lied and misled people. It just played the game of numbers in the name of employment and economy and fooled people by presenting false figures.

He said the government was presenting a false picture of the poor. Even today, 80 crore people of the country were living below poverty line, that was why there was need for the government to provide foodgrains to 80 crore people. It was clear from these figures that poverty in the country had increased. The truth of the economy of the Modi government was that the number of poor was increasing day by day and the wealth of the capitalists close to the PM was continuously increasing. The BJP only pretended to be there for the poor but, in reality, it was only a government of the rich and capitalists.

LEADERSPEAK

Still awaiting ‘acche din’

For nine years, people have been waiting for ‘acche din’. We had hope that the Centre would show some large heartedness and release the dues of Punjab, held back for political considerations. This is injustice towards the state and we will continue to fight to get our dues of Rs 1,800 crore from the Centre. — Harpal Singh Cheema, Finance Minister

Budget a reflection of conviction

By avoiding the strong political temptation of announcing doles in the election year, the Prime Minister has once again shown the courage and conviction in the BJP's unmatchable record of inclusive development and growth in the last 10 years. —Sunil Jakhar, Punjab state BJP president

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