The SAD-BJP on Monday accused Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of not refunding to the SGPC the GST charged on items bought for langars, with Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia saying he was a "habitual offender".
The remarks came a day after the chief minister termed Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal a "compulsive liar" for her statement that the Congress government had "reneged on its commitment".
"Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is running away from his responsibilities and behaving like a habitual offender by going back on his word to refund the state's GST share on langar (community kitchen) for the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) and other shrines," SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia said here.
Majithia said it did not "behove" a chief minister to try to "befool" the masses by stating that the money had been put at the disposal of the Amritsar deputy commissioner for transfer to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) when the "same was not being done" despite repeated attempts to get the funds released.
A day before reacting to the Union minister's statement, the CM had said, "She is a compulsive liar with no shame in pedaling even religion for her petty political gains."
"The fact is that the state government has not only notified 100 per cent GST refund in respect of Shri Harmandar Sahib, Sri Durgiana Mandir and Sri Valmik Sthal, Ram Tirath, but also had allocated Rs 4 crore to the deputy commissioner, Amritsar, in May this year for the same," the CM had said.
Majithia said it was surprising that someone who had been caught "lying" repeatedly was terming Harsimrat a "habitual liar".
"The CM's media team needs to be congratulated for admitting that the GST refund of Rs 3.27 crore has not been transferred to the SGPC," he said, adding that it proved that Harsimrat Badal had echoed sentiments of the Sikh sangat.
"Instead of doing this, the chief minister retorted with a long explanation, saying money had been allocated for the GST refund," alleged Majithia.
He said the state's share of Rs 1.68 crore from August 2017 to August 2018 was still pending.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Tarun Chugh accused Amarinder Singh of "telling lies" regarding the refund of GST charged on the community kitchen.
Chugh alleged, "It was highly unfortunate that the chief minister was lying as Rs 3.27 crore refunded to the SGPC has not reached the religious body."
The Centre had released Rs 57 lakh in GST refund for 'langar' -- community kitchen -- in gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple.
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