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2-day assembly session: Centre suffering from ‘anti-Punjab syndrome’, says CM Mann
Mann accused the BJP-led central government of being “anti-Punjab” and said if it gets its way, it will not hesitate from dropping “Punjab” from the national anthem
Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre was suffering from ‘anti-Punjab syndrome’, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday slammed the Union government for meting out step-motherly treatment to the state.
Taking part in a debate on the floor of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the CM said though ruling in 70% of the states in India, the BJP is still vindictive against non-BJP governments.
Mann said the Modi government was suffering from ‘anti-Punjab syndrome’ due to which they were hell bent on ruining the state.
“They (BJP) hit non-BJP states by cutting central funds, using the Enforcement Directorate and CBI and causing hindrance in smooth working of the state governments by stalling various works. The BJP works against federal structure as it has slowly taken over financial freedom of states through GST, and is now bringing a uniform educational policy, which ignores interests of the state,” said the CM.
It is surprising to note that though Punjab leads the country in contributing to the food pool, besides giving maximum representation in the Indian Army, the Centre has always ignored the state. He said Punjab was not getting its legitimate share of the rural development fund (RDF) despite fulfilling all conditions. Mann said the state collects the GST and gives it to the Centre but then it has to beg for its share from the Union government.
“If the will of the BJP-led NDA government prevails, then they will also omit the name of Punjab from the national anthem,” he said. Mann said it is surprising that despite this step-motherly treatment, the state BJP chief along with the former chief minister of the state are mum on the entire issue.
The chief minister said the Union government is adopting a hostile attitude towards the state and its farmers. The Centre is putting the entire onus of environmental pollution in the national capital on the farmers of the state by asserting that they are burning paddy straw.
Mann said the GST Bill presented in the house on Tuesday will go a long way in ensuring that the benefits of tax are given to the manufacturing state, which has used its resources to produce goods. He said the state government has already launched an OTS scheme for VAT to benefit more than 65,000 traders across the state. Mann said the state government has got 1,800 applications so far under this scheme, which was getting maximum response from the public.
Punjab has set a benchmark in the nation’s polity: CM
The chief minister said the decision of the apex court regarding the Vidhan Sabha sessions in the state has set a new benchmark in the polity of the country. He said this decision has set an example for the entire country in dealing with such matters. Mann said it was not a matter of victory or defeat, but the Punjab government had fought the battle for the interests of the people and democracy.
He profusely thanked the governor replying to the government letters immediately. He also expressed hope that the governor will clear the pending bills soon, besides giving approval to the new bills. Mann said there is no rift between the state government and governor Banwarilal Purohit on any issue.
