Fiscal repair top priority, says PCC chief
Thursday, 09/02/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120209/punjab.htm#17
Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh has begun lobbying with the party's high command to bail out the state of its financial mess. Shortly before leaving for Delhi to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, he said: "Financial rehabilitation of the state is my top priority."
Reports of a possible hung assembly or the SAD-BJP alliance being in a position to form the next government again has failed to deter him. "We will talk on March 6. The Akalis are trying to cause confusion because if they concede defeat, they will have no moral right to remain in office for the next four weeks".
As the Union Budget is expected to be announced on March 16, after the poll results in Punjab (March 6) , Amarinder will be trying to obtain central funding for some projects in Punjab. He plans to meet the Finamce Minister to work out financial rehabilitation of the state. "Without proper and adequate finances, we can't move forward", he said.
While many candidates are still recuperating from poll fatigue, Amarinder has started working on a "blueprint for governance". He is, perhaps, emboldened by the fact that several officials have been approaching him for different positions. They hope to be included in the core group of policy-makers if the Congress manages to win at least 60 seats.
Amarinder seems to have certainly won the first round, having been declared the CM-candidate. Had this not been done, he would have been lobbying for the post. Now, he is identifying persons he can trust if the Congress emerges victorious.
"All surveys and intelligence reports, both from the Centre as and the state, are giving us more than 70 seats", he told The Tribune before flying off to Delhi, adding, "even the grassroots feedback corroborates that figure".
The PCC president said he was concerned about the state's finances. "The coffers are empty and there are bills worth Rs 1,600 crore pending... The government has no money to even pay employees of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana."
