Punjab CM questions Capt Amarinder, Sunil Jakhar’s silence over Centre withholding Punjab’s Rs 8K cr

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, March 9

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today accused senior BJP leaders Capt Amarinder Singh (former Chief Minister), Sunil Jakhar (former MP) and Manpreet Singh Badal (former Finance Minister) of not forcing the Modi government to release withheld funds, amounting to Rs 8,000 crore, of Punjab.

He said it was very strange that these persons, despite being from Punjab, had not been pursuing the matter in the favour of Punjab. He also said that these senior BJP leaders should contribute in getting Rs 8,000 crore released, withheld by the Centre, by using their influence.

Mann was addressing a gathering today at a function at Cheema village about 30 km from Sangrur, organised in connection with various development projects, worth Rs 869 crore in the district.

The projects include 80 bed mother-child hospital at Dhuri, 30 bed community health centre at Kauhrian village and 30 bed rural hospital at Cheema village. Mann also said that in the Rs 8,000 crore withheld funds, Rs 5,500 crore were alone of Rural Development Fund (RDF) while the remaining funds included funds of National Health Mission (NHM).

He said the Centre had withheld RDF’s funds due to “wrong” use of the RDF amount by the Captain Amarinder Singh Government and he was now in the BJP. Mann said when he talked to the Centre to release the amount, they told him to ensure that it would be spent only on grain markets and link roads etc. He said for this, he tabled a Bill in the Punjab Assembly and passed it. Mann claimed an officer of the NITI Aayog in Delhi had told him to go to the people of Punjab and appeal to them to make AAP victorious on all 13 Lok Sabha (LS) seats if the AAP government wants to get the “withheld” funds. He said if the AAP won 13 LS seats from Punjab, seven from Delhi and some from other states, then the AAP’s number in the LS would reach 30 to 35 members and the Centre would not be able to withhold the funds.

Mann also said that now, he was fighting alone against BJP, Governor and Congress. Besides, he had to move Supreme Court on every issue. He also criticised the Modi government for reducing by Rs 100 the price of LPG cylinder to lure voters. He said the Modi government had earlier been selling LPG cylinder for more than Rs 1,100.

He also said that reverse migration in the state had already started from abroad as his government had been providing thousands of jobs here.