SAD demand for finance minister's resignation over fiscal situation 'ridiculous': Amarinder

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday described Shiromani Akali Dal's demand for the resignation of Finance Minister Manpreet Badal over the fiscal situation as ridiculous.

Hitting out at the SAD, Amarinder said the demand for Manpreet's resignation is ridiculous" as it is the Akalis who were "responsible for the financial crisis".

The chief minister said his government is striving to resolve the issue.

For 10 years, the Akalis messed with the state's economy for their own vested interests," Amarinder said.

"Our government in the previous term (2002-2007), had left a robust economy, but the SAD-BJP regime ruined it with their ill-conceived and anti-people policies, an official statement quoted him as saying.

 

The chief minister said all the money in state's coffers was "wasted away by the Akalis and their allies", during their decade-long "misrule", and "no positive measure" was taken to boost the economy.

Amarinder claimed that the industry and businesses were forced to flee the state as a result of their negative policies, which completely crushed investor sentiment, leading to a huge debt burden," that his government "is still struggling to alleviate.

"Just months before the 2017 Assembly elections, the then SAD-BJP government added a Rs 31,000 crore loan burden on the state on account of food grain procurement for the central pool, which had "aggravated the fiscal crisis of Punjab, the chief minister said.

"The critical economic situation of the state is a legacy our government has inherited from the Akalis, who were now shedding crocodile tears over a crisis of their own making, he said.

Amarinder said the state government, particularly the finance ministry, was making efforts to revive the economic situation by restoring confidence of industry and the investors.

Over Rs 50,000 crore on-ground investment has already been realised through the new industrial policy and the ease of business promoted by our government, he claimed.

Amarinder further said the Centre's "failure" to pay out the state's share of GST revenue on time was "obstructing" his government's efforts to restore Punjab's economy.