The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday rejected the demand of the opposition Congress for a special assembly session on the key issues related to the state, pointing out the Congress boycott of the last budget session in the assembly.
Also reacting strongly to the statement of the Congress on the closure of steel re-rolling units in Mandi Gobindgarh, the SAD blamed the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for the plight.
In a statement here, SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema dubbed it as "mischievous and politically motivated move of the Centre against the interests of the Punjab's economy".
"If the Congress had prior information that industry in Mandi Gobindgarh is in severe distress as alleged by it, then why did state Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa and leader of the opposition Sunil Jakhar not include the issue in their memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister recently that demanded excise concessions for six border districts," Cheema said.
He said the SAD opposed the Congress move of excise concessions only for the six border districts as the chief minister was trying to get excise concessions for the entire state, adding that the Congress was now trying to thwart the SAD-BJP move of industrial concession for the entire state.
"Instead of hatching political conspiracies, both Bajwa and Jakhar should go to the Prime Minister and take their anti-state memorandum back and brief the PM about the adverse impact of the excise concessions given to hill states on the Punjab industry," Cheema said.
Coming down heavily on the Congress demand for a special assembly session, the SAD spokesman said when the budget session was on, the Congress did not attend it for a single day and now it was demanding a special session without any agenda.
{{/usCountry}}Coming down heavily on the Congress demand for a special assembly session, the SAD spokesman said when the budget session was on, the Congress did not attend it for a single day and now it was demanding a special session without any agenda.
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