Chandigarh, February 2 (IANS). Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar on Monday described the Union Budget as inspired by the egalitarian philosophy of Guru Ravidas Maharaj. He said that this is a concrete step and a strong foundation towards building a ‘developed India’.
He told the media here that the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, due to lack of understanding of economics, have failed to understand the real spirit of the budget. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had said yesterday (Sunday) that cities like Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Ferozepur will benefit from this budget and it will accelerate their development.
Jakhar questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann as to when he met the Prime Minister regarding Punjab’s demands, while he is making a factually incorrect claim that Punjab did not get anything from the budget. He further said that even before the budget, in a meeting chaired by the Union Finance Minister, the Punjab Finance Minister did not present any budget proposal or development related demands, but only requested for increase in the borrowing limit of the state.
The state BJP president said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, this budget will provide new momentum to equality and development. He said that during his visit to Dera Balan on Sunday, the Prime Minister explained in detail about the positive impact of the budget on Punjab. However, he said that Chief Minister Mann avoided meeting the Prime Minister out of fear of Arvind Kejriwal and did not meet him even during his visit to Punjab, thereby violating established traditions.
Jakhar said that it would have been better if the Chief Minister had met the Prime Minister and placed before him the additional demands of Punjab. Speaking about the budget proposals, he said Punjab would get funds for crop diversification or high value crops only if the state government presents appropriate plans. He said that the Government of India has allocated adequate budget for fisheries, animal husbandry and fertilizer subsidies.
He further said that under the ‘Khelo India’ initiative, sports are being promoted across the country, hence the majority of sports goods sold will be manufactured in Jalandhar and he questioned whether this would not benefit the state. Jakhar also said that the agreement signed between the Government of India and the European Union will greatly benefit the small and medium enterprises, textile and sports industries of Punjab.
–IANS
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