Chandigarh, March 19
Addressing a press conference with facts and figures, the BJP President said that after six months, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has finally admitted that ₹13,000 crore was received from the Centre for disaster relief, out of which only ₹477 crore was spent, and the rest was allegedly misused by previous governments. He expressed surprise that it took the Chief Minister so long to review the government treasury records. He added that, on the other hand, leaders of the same Congress—whom the Chief Minister is accusing of misusing funds—are acting as defenders of the AAP government in Parliament. He said Congress has completely failed in its role as an opposition, and its leaders have either “sold their voice” to Bhagwant Mann or lost the ability to speak due to their past corruption. He alleged that both parties are now jointly spreading hatred against the Centre and BJP among the people of Punjab.
➖AAP and Congress are making a malicious attempt to create confusion against the Centre and BJP through a conspiratorial alliance – Sunil Jakhar
➖Punjab BJP President broke the web of misinformation of AAP-Congress with facts and data
➖Provided details of central government schemes for farmers
➖Warned the AAP-Congress alliance against sowing seeds of hatred against the Centre in a border state
Sunil Jakhar further countered what he called a false narrative against the BJP-led central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi by presenting data. He said that during the UPA government, the agriculture budget was ₹21,933 crore, whereas under the BJP government it has increased to ₹1.30 lakh crore. Under the PM-Kisan scheme, ₹4.27 lakh crore has been directly transferred to farmers’ bank accounts. Fertilizer subsidies, which were ₹18,460 crore during the UPA era, have increased to ₹1.77 lakh crore under the BJP government this year. The UPA spent ₹4.75 lakh crore on MSP procurement, while the BJP government has spent ₹18.98 lakh crore. He added that procurement of pulses and oilseeds at MSP has started for the first time, and in Punjab, every grain of wheat and paddy is being procured at MSP by the central government.
Targeting the Punjab Chief Minister, the BJP President questioned why the state government has not implemented its own agriculture policy. He said that the draft of the farmer policy has been ready since October 2023, so what is the Chief Minister waiting for? He questioned what steps are being taken if there are shortcomings in the policy. He added that if the government can formulate an industrial policy with the help of industrialists, why can’t it prepare an agriculture policy with farmers?
Responding to a question about the pricing of Punjab’s water, Sunil Jakhar said that BJP has always maintained that Punjab should get its legal rights. However, he clarified that the entire expenditure on canals and water channels in the state has been funded by the Government of India, and the Chief Minister is taking credit for projects built using central funds while simultaneously criticizing the Centre. Similarly, he said that the Chief Minister does not acknowledge central assistance for stubble management, even though a major portion of funds comes from the Centre. He also stated that the crop insurance scheme has not been implemented, questioning why the state has not introduced its own scheme despite earlier promises.
Sunil Jakhar concluded by saying that AAP and Congress are trying to create an anti-BJP environment under a planned agenda, but the people of Punjab are now aware of the truth and recognize how the central government is working for farmers and all sections of society. He said that in the upcoming elections, the people of Punjab will give their verdict against the “lies” of AAP and Congress.
