Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday hinted at several major decisions to implement some of the key electoral financial promises of his government in the state budget, to be announced later this month.Addressing a select gathering after launching the India News (Punjab) channel of itv Group, the Chief Minister underlined his commitment to good governance and pointed out that as many as 140 important decisions, which did not have financial implications, were taken by government at the first meeting of the cabinet. The budget will address some of the more financially critical issues, he said, while underlining the need to cut down on wasteful expenditure and increase revenue.Though he said he could not disclose the announcements likely to be made in the forthcoming budget, the Chief Minister said he was committed to fulfilling every single promise made to the people of Punjab.
Vowing to break the cable nexus of the Akalis, whom he blamed for monopolization of everything, including news, the Chief Minister said the SAD-BJP regime had ruined the state with its corruption and mismanagement, which would be exposed by the white paper his government would soon be releasing.Once again dismissing the threats from pro-Khalistani elements, including Harjit Singh Sajjan, Captain Amarinder made it clear that he would never welcome the Canadian defence minister, nor would be cowed down by the threats of SJF, which was clearly indulging in cheap publicity.On the controversial Kashmir `human shield’ issue, the Chief Minister said Major Leetul Gogoi showed exemplary presence of mind to save his mean from imminent death at the hands of rioters. Gogoi had the option of abandoning his mission or shooting his way in and out, which would have resulted in many casualties, Captain Amarinder pointed out, adding that in the major’s place, he would have also done the same thing.The Chief Minister, however, stressed that the job of maintaining peace did not lie with the Army and Kashmir needed a political solution, which only the central and state governments could provide. On a lighter note, he said in response to an audience question that, left to him, he would never have opted out of the Army and would have now become a “retired fauji.’
On the issue of drugs, the Chief Minister minced no words in declaring that his government had successfully broken the backbone of the drugs network, with stringent enforcement leading to choking of supplies, incremental hike in prices and large-scale movement of addicts towards rehabilitation centres.Talking of the industrial situation in Punjab, Captain Amarinder expressed happiness at the response received from the captains of industry during his meetings in Mumbai and also invited NRIs to invest in the state’s industry.The Chief Minister also asserted his commitment to maintaining law and order in the state, with special focus on the security and safety of women, saying traditional policing was a priority for his government, which was putting more men on the streets by withdrawing personnel from unnecessary VVIP security.Commenting on the Punjab assembly poll results, the Chief Minister said while the Akalis were written off at the outset, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had garnered public support initially but soon got exposed as a result of their misgovernance in Delhi and their flirtations with Khalistanis and hardliners. People of Punjab had seen tough times and decided to vote for peace and stability, he added.