| "The Akali Dal government has been claiming credit for it when it was conceived during the PV Narasimha Rao's tenure as Prime Minister. |
| "The Akali Dal, in fact, derailed the project by saying that the state government did not have funds and could not provide tax benefits or pick up stake," said Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla. |
| Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said the National Democratic Alliance government had announced the project and tried to take credit when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the foundation stone in November 1998. |
| "The decision was taken at a hurriedly convened Cabinet meeting. Not much thought was given to the viability of the project. As a result, nothing had happened, though the foundation stone was laid some seven years ago," he said at the relaunch function. |
| Aiyar said in the one year that he had been in office, he met his schoolfriend and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to ensure that the state government supported the project. |
| The state government has agreed to provide an interest-free loan of Rs 250 crore annually for the first five years. |
| Guru Gobind Singh Refinery Ltd, a 100 per cent Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd subsidiary, had earlier sought sales tax exemption for 10 years, which was not agreed to by the government. |
| In the recent past, the Congress and the Akali Dal have been claiming credit for projects. For instance, the Congress has taken credit for a bridge over Sutlej in sanctioned by the Akali government. |
| The face-off has meant that the bridge's inauguration has been delayed as the state government sealed the bridge following the Akali Dal's decision to open it on 13 August. |
| The Punjab chief minister said the Akalis should realise that projects are decided by one government but may be inaugurated by another. |
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