A day after the Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that it was meting out a “step-motherly” treatment to the state, the saffron party hit back saying that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was being indifferent to the issues of Punjabis.
BJP MLA from Pathankot and the party’s former state unit chief, Ashwani Sharma led the attack on the government and accused it of being indifferent towards public issues.
Speaking during the zero hour, Ashwani first raised the issue of mining mafia in his constituency and termed the government’s attitude “insensitive”.
Responding to allegations leveled by the CM, Sharma said that it is being said that Punjabi is being ignored. “You are also a victim of westernization, which BJP is ending. You are accusing the Centre of ignoring local languages, but the fact is that the Centre’s education policy talks about promotion of local languages. The BJP government at the Centre is votary that even medical education should be given in local language like Punjabi, Tamil and Hindi etc.”
He also attacked the AAP government for not using central grants, pertinently ₹198 crore disbursed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. “With this grant, at least 15,000 houses can be built, but the Punjab government is not using these funds as these are given by the Prime Minister,” Sharma said.
{{/usCountry}}He also attacked the AAP government for not using central grants, pertinently ₹198 crore disbursed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. “With this grant, at least 15,000 houses can be built, but the Punjab government is not using these funds as these are given by the Prime Minister,” Sharma said.
{{/usCountry}}Pertinently, on the first day of the assembly session, CM Mann had slammed the Union government for meting out step-motherly treatment to the state. He had said that though BJP is in power in 70% of the states in India, it 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.