Badal should own moral responsibility over denial of payment to farmers : Capt.

Chandigarh, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh today asked the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to own the moral responsibility for his failure in getting the farmers the payment for their paddy crops. He said, both the state and the centre governments must find a way out and not make the farmers suffer for none of their faults.

He said, the entire blame for the denial of payment lies with the state government that Mr Badal heads as it has failed to furnish the accounts to qualify for further instalments. He pointed out, there was no payment made to farmers since October 22 and thousands of quintals of paddy had been procured without any payment till now.

In a statement issued here today, Capt Amarinder said, it was unprecedented that the farmers have been denied their due. “Mr Badal cannot shrug off his responsibility by putting the blame on the centre”, he asserted while reminding him that it is the same NDA government of which his party is a part and parcel.

The former Chief Minister said, he had been time and again warning the state government to set its financial house in order as nobody not even its favourite union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely was going to bail it out.

He maintained that the Union Finance Ministry was well within its right to ask for the accounts of Rs 42,000 crores which the Punjab government has failed to furnish. “This only reflects the financial mismanagement that has become so characteristic of the Akali government”, he observed, while adding, the Akalis, particularly Mr Badal are known to misuse and divert funds.

Capt Amarinder also referred to the reports of diversion of funds meant for Dalits’ welfare for other purposes. “I have been time and again cautioning you against splurging the funds from various heads during your Sangat Darshan pastime and this is what happens when you don’t listen to the saner advice”, he told Mr Badal while referring to lack of money for paying to the farmers for their paddy.