Parkash Singh Badal and Capt. Amarinder Singh misused public funds for their own political interests

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Senior Leader and Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema on the issue of holding of Punjab’s Rural Development Fund by the Centre said that this move of Modi government was another proof of anti-Punjab attitude of BJP. Cheema said that this fund of Rs. 1100 crore belongs to Punjab and denying it means attacking Punjab’s rights. According to Harpal Singh Cheema, for the last few days the BJP government has been constantly attacking the rights of Punjab which the people of Punjab will never tolerate.

In a statement issued from the party headquarters on Thursday, Harpal Cheema said, "This is another betrayal of Capt. Amarinder Singh with the people of Punjab to fulfil his own narrow political interests. The Congress government used the Rural Development Fund for the loan waiver of farmers. But, in 2017 election campaign while promising the moon, Congress never mentioned in their manifesto that they’ll use rural development fund for loan waiver." He said that Capt. Amarinder Singh had conspired with BJP against Punjab.

The AAP leader also held Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal responsible and asked that when Pungrain employees approached him and asked him to get funds released, then why did Channi's Congress government ignore the matter or was ‘Ailanjit Singh’ so busy in his announcements and propaganda to mislead the people that he did not get a chance to solve the real issue. Harpal Cheema said that first Parkash Singh Badal and then Capt. Amarinder Singh had been misusing Punjab's public money, natural resources and funds for their own political interests. He assured that as soon as the AAP government is formed there will be an impartial inquiry into all such scams and stern actions will be taken.

Harpal Singh Cheema condemned the decision of the Union Government to withhold funds and said that the money belonged to Punjab and there was no point in punishing the people of Punjab for the mistakes of Badal and Captain. He said that the anti-Punjab central government was just looking for excuses to violate the rights of Punjab and Akali Dal and the state Congress had been giving them these excuses for decades. Harpal Singh Cheema said that Prime Minister Modi, who had cancelled the rally on the pretext of security and then never announced funds of 36,000 crores for the development of Punjab is now denying Punjab’s 1,100 crores of rural development funds. He said that Centre government should stop their discrimination against Punjab and release Rural Development Fund immediately.