Debt burden will make us a failed state: Manpreet

[Guest SikhSangat]

Jalandhar, Punjab: Former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who made a quick visit to the Doaba region today, said the debt worth Rs 71,000 had already become unsustainable and if the present trend continued Punjab would become a failed state in due course.

In case the debt burden was not lightened, the state could default in the payment of instalments of interest and principal to off load the debt.

He said keeping in view the heavy debt burden, the Centre had directed the state to set up a sinking fund, which meant setting aside money to pay the debt instalments.

Manpreet said he had never talked about stopping the social welfare schemes such as the Shagun scheme, atta-dal scheme and old age pension etc., neither the Centre had laid any condition to stop such schemes.

"SAD President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was playing with the emotions of poor people and misleading them by spreading lies in this regard," he said.

Manpreet, who got support from the local Bar Association and its members, said he did not even talk about eliminating the power subsidy to the farm sector completely.

"I am all for giving power subsidy to small farmers but as far as rich farmers are concerned, there was no logic behind giving subsidised power to them," he said.

Out in the field to mobilise people for his November 14 visit to the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir and the Jallianwala Bagh, Manpreet said: "My fight would be to free the state from corruption, bad governance, poverty and drugs."

When asked about when Sukhbir would be made the Chief Minister, Manpreet said it was an internal matter of the SAD with which he had nothing to do now because he was no longer its member.

Source: TNS