Punjab budget anti-people, anti-state, says Harpal Singh Cheema
A ‘flop’ budget that has disappointed all sections of society: AAP
Chandigarh, February 28, 2020 :
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Punjab, has described the budget presented by state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Friday, as anti-people and anti-state.
Interacting media persons outside the assembly after the presentation of the budget, Leader of Opposition (LoP), Harpal Singh Cheema, said that idealistic finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal had presented a ‘hollow’ budget with the state coffers being empty, yet more. Others who were present on the occasion were, besides Harpal Singh Cheema, Principal Budh Ram, Prof Baljinder Kaur, Aaman Arora, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Jai Krishan Singh Rauri, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Rupinder Kaur Ruby, Meet Hayer, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Manjit Kaur Bilaspur, master Baldev Singh (All MLAs), State Trade Wing chief Neena Mittal and state Media Head Manjit Singh Sidhu.
Cheema said that the government in the saddle had presented a ‘hollow’ budget for the fourth time in a row, which had disappointed all sections of the society. The LoP said Manpreet Singh Badal was the first state finance minister in the country who had given four ‘flop’ budgets, beating his own previous records.
Cheema said Badal had been adept at hiding the colossal failures of his party, passing the buck on to the previous Badal government, reiterating that he had presented three budgets back-to-back as a finance minister of then Badal-led government, saying the financial health of the state had gone from bad to worse since. He lamented that cash-strapped state of Punjab was under debit of a whopping Rs 228906 crore, which was likely to touch the 248236 crore figure during the year 2020-21.
Cheema said that the budget had nothing for farmers and farm hands, the youth, the elderly, widows, handicapped, businessmen, traders, employees and other sections of society in the state, saying that the ultimate truth would be brought forth on post budget debate on the floor of the House on Monday.