Badal asks Centre for wheat export from Punjab
20 May 2012 10:30 AM GMT
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked the Centre to allow export of wheat from Punjab.
Whenever there is an acute shortage of foodgrains in the country, Punjab is always reminded of its obligation towards the national food pool, Badal said.
'On the contrary, whenever there was surplus production as now in the case of wheat, the Centre pays no heed to our requests, which is tantamount to its sheer discrimination against Punjab,' the chief minister said.
Badal said after attending the fourth death anniversary of Jaswant Kaur, mother of Rural Development and Panchayat Minister SurjeetSingh Rakhra, here.
'I have already taken up this issue with the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar several times, but of no avail,' he said.
Referring to another query regarding the waiver of staggering debt on Punjab, the chief minister said that it was obligatory on the part of Centre to relieve the state from this debt trap 'because it had alone fought decade long nation's battle against militancy to secure the unity and integrity of the country.'
Making a scathing attack on the state Congress leadership, he said that it was left with no other alternative except to criticise the SAD-BJP alliance government on petty issues 'which speaks volumes of their day-by-day growing frustration'.
Advising the Congress leadership to be wary of blatant criticism on each and every issue, the Chief Minister in a lighter vein said that 'even Congress high command Sonia Gandhi had recently quoted that criticism has become a fashion of the day'.
On the issue of his meetings with his younger brother and People's Party of Punjab leader Gurdas Singh Badal recently, the chief minister asked the media not to be sceptical about humanely relations that too of brothers who are often known as 'Ram-Lakshman'.
Badal maintained he loves his brother and gives him all respect despite many surmises and conjectures by people.
Gurdas' son and the chief minister's nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal had floated his own party PPP last year. PPP contested the Punjab Assembly elections held in January this year, but failed to win any seat.
Whenever there is an acute shortage of foodgrains in the country, Punjab is always reminded of its obligation towards the national food pool, Badal said.
'On the contrary, whenever there was surplus production as now in the case of wheat, the Centre pays no heed to our requests, which is tantamount to its sheer discrimination against Punjab,' the chief minister said.
Badal said after attending the fourth death anniversary of Jaswant Kaur, mother of Rural Development and Panchayat Minister SurjeetSingh Rakhra, here.
'I have already taken up this issue with the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar several times, but of no avail,' he said.
Referring to another query regarding the waiver of staggering debt on Punjab, the chief minister said that it was obligatory on the part of Centre to relieve the state from this debt trap 'because it had alone fought decade long nation's battle against militancy to secure the unity and integrity of the country.'
Making a scathing attack on the state Congress leadership, he said that it was left with no other alternative except to criticise the SAD-BJP alliance government on petty issues 'which speaks volumes of their day-by-day growing frustration'.
Advising the Congress leadership to be wary of blatant criticism on each and every issue, the Chief Minister in a lighter vein said that 'even Congress high command Sonia Gandhi had recently quoted that criticism has become a fashion of the day'.
On the issue of his meetings with his younger brother and People's Party of Punjab leader Gurdas Singh Badal recently, the chief minister asked the media not to be sceptical about humanely relations that too of brothers who are often known as 'Ram-Lakshman'.
Badal maintained he loves his brother and gives him all respect despite many surmises and conjectures by people.
Gurdas' son and the chief minister's nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal had floated his own party PPP last year. PPP contested the Punjab Assembly elections held in January this year, but failed to win any seat.
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