Member Parliament Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal today expressed regret over Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s failure to announce total debt waiver for border state of Punjab besides waiving the farm debt of Punjabi farmers reeling under debt burden. She also said that PM’s failure to pronounce continuation of free power for farm sector and Rs. 1 Atta scheme exposes the hollowness of Amarinder Singh’s pronouncement.
In a statement issued here today Mrs. Badal said that Punjabi’s had a great hope from first sikh Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh that he would make the historic announcement of total debt waiver so that Punjab’s economy could start from a firm footing. She said that Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal had series of meeting with Prime Minister on this issue and Prime Minister had assured that he would take a decision on the recommendations of Planning Commission committee constituted for three states including Punjab and Bengal. She said that Prime Minister has already announced a package of Rs. 25 thousand crore for West Bengal on the insistence of Mamta Banerjee but ignored his home state Punjab.
She said that Punjabis were hoping that economist Prime Minister would have knowledge about the loss suffered by Punjab’s economy due to decade long disturbance in the state that resulted in Rs. 69000 crore debt. Mrs. Badal said that SAD had been able to persuade former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral to waive a portion of debt but till total debt was written off, Punjab’s finances would be kept on occupied towards repayment of loan and yearly instalments of this huge debt.
Mrs. Badal said that Punjabi farmers were hoping that their farm debt would be waived by the Prime Minister but their hopes have dashed to floor with Prime Minister not mentioning a word about this. She said that in earlier farm debt waiver package of Rs. 72000 crore kept Punjabi farmers out of its ambit as only 0.97 percent farmers could get partial benefit of this. She said that farm debt was mounting due to UPA’s failure to link MSP with the price index and waiver coupled with linking of MSP with price index was the only answer to this problem.
Regretting PPCC Chief Capt. Amarinder Singh’s failure to raise this crucial demand of Punjab with Prime Minister, Mrs. Badal said that carefree attitude of PPCC Chief reflects that he was not concerned about the welfare of Punjab.
Mrs. Badal said that Capt. Amarinder Singh had been making hollow pronouncements of continuation of free power and Rs. 1 Atta scheme for the Atta dal families but everybody knows that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Vice chairman of Planning Commission Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Union finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee have disapproved the inclusion of these two in the manifesto of Congress party. She said that Prime Minister’s failure to assure people of Punjab that Congress party would continue these schemes clearly exposes the fact that Amarinder was againt trying to befool the people of Punjab.
Appealing to Prime Minister to make an announcement of total debt waiver of Punjab and also farm debt waiver without any condition, She said that Punjabis were looking towards Prime Minister for an early announcement as she was sure that PPCC Chief has not briefed Prime Minister on this.