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Modi belies all expectations of Punjabis
Chandigarh, September 11: People’s Party of Punjab Manpreet Singh Badal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Chandigarh visit had once again overlooked the concerns of the state by not making any specific commitment to provide relief in the context of the deepening crisis. He had remained silent even on the naming of the new international terminal of Chandigarh airport that he inaugurated in the morning.
“It is ironical that while all these years, Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal has been propagating addition of international terminal to existing Chandigarh airport as a new and his dream project, Modi has not even recognised Punjab’s claim going by the inauguration plaque which mentions that it as new civil air terminal of Chandigarh airport while the Punjab government ad has made the claim as its being international airport at Mohali. Sukhbir should have the guts to admit that it is addition of a new terminal to the existing Chandigarh airport with equal contribution from Haryana and Airport Authority having 51 per cent stakes”, he said in a statement.
The former finance minister said the people of Punjab should stop expecting any big relief from the NDA government at the centre as the Prime Minister did not even refer to any of the major problems the state was confronted with like the incidence of farmers’ debt being highest here resulting in increasing suicides in this once the most prosperous state.
Manpreet said the state was in urgent need of rescue package but it seemed either the present rulers had failed to convincingly put up the case or the Modi government had adopted indifferent attitude. He referred to the gratitude expressed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for implanting cooperative federalism but one failed to comprehend as to what Punjab had so far gained as at the end of it, Punjab has been the loser in the matter of curtailment of central financial assistance despite hike in states share from 32 to 42 per cent. He said state finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa was on the record on this issue.
The PPP chief said Modi had not even given the assurance to implement the Swaminathan Committee report on fixing of prices of farm products despite Badal pleading the case of the farmers.
