As the politics surrounding Punjab’s worsening financial situation gained momentum after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demanded resignation of State’s Finance Minister, the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday came to the defence of his Cabinet colleague.
Terming the demand for Manpreet Badal’s resignation over the fiscal situation in the State as “ridiculous”', Capt. Amarinder Singh said that it was the Akalis who were wholly and solely responsible for Punjab’s financial crisis which his government was striving hard to resolve.
‘Akalis ruined economy’
“For 10 years of their rule, the Akalis messed with the State’s economy for their own vested interests,” said the Chief Minister, adding that his government, in his previous term, had left a robust economy, which the SAD-BJP regime ruined with their ill-conceived and anti-people policies.
“All the money in the State’s coffers was wasted away by the Akalis and their allies, the BJP, during their decade-long misrule, with no positive measures taken to boost the economy,” he said here.
Capt. Amarinder alleged that industry and businesses were forced to flee the State as a result of their negative policies, which completely crushed investor sentiment, leading to a huge debt burden that his government was still struggling to alleviate.
“What’s more, just months before the 2017 Assembly elections, the then SAD-BJP government added a ₹31,000 crore loan burden on the State on account of food grain procurement for the central pool, which had aggravated the fiscal crisis,” he said.
“It was shameful that instead of regretting their actions and apologising to the people for the same, the Akali leaders were now seeking to put the blame of the financial mess on my government and Finance Minister,” said Capt. Amarinder.
