Excessive centralisation of powers by Centre: Badal
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal today accused the Congress-led UPA government of adopting a policy of "excessive centralisation" of powers and bent on ruining the country socially, politically and economically.
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday accused the Congress-led UPA government of adopting a policy of "excessive centralisation" of powers and bent on ruining the country socially, politically and economically.
Addressing a gathering here on the second day of his thanks-giving tour of Lambi assembly segment, the chief minister charged the Centre with ignoring the welfare of people by formulating the policies "autocratically without consulting the state governments".
He said the tendency of the Centre to "usurp" the powers of state governments was "very dangerous as it not only violated the fundamental principles of democracy but also develops a feeling of alienation among states".
Advocating a better connect between union government and the state government before formulation of a national-level policy, the chief minister said the Centre must take advice from state governments so that good policies for betterment of the people could be drafted and implemented properly.
"At present, the union government is not taking any advice from the state governments due to which sheer chaos is prevailing in the country," alleged Badal who led Shiromani Akali Dal back to power in recent assembly polls.
He said while Congress had came to power in the name of 'aam aadmi' but was doling out "largesse to big oil companies by deliberately hiking fuel prices exorbitantly in the last few years, much to the dismay of common man".
The chief minister alleged the Centre was far more concerned about the interests of big industrial houses and least bothered to mitigate the woes of farmers of the state who played a vital role in making the country self- sufficient in food production.