I had myself left FM responsibility, admits Lal Singh

Tuesday, 26/06/2012

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=39375&boxid=58155&uid=&dat=2012-06-26

The discussion on state’s budget for current fiscal saw political mudslinging between the treasury and opposition benches during the ongoing budget session of Punjab Assembly on Monday.

As a senior Congress leader Lal Singh, who began the discussion on behalf of the main opposition, admitted that he had himself left the responsibility of Finance Minister during 2002-2007 Capt Amarinder Singh regime, the ruling SAD-BJP alliance members took a jibe at him for running away instead of tackling the crisis, if any.

Retaliating to comments from treasury benches, Lal Singh targeted a senior BJP legislator and former Minister Manoranjan Kalia, whom he said was ousted from the ministerial berth as well as party leader’s post. “Main ta khud chhadya si… tuhanu ta kaddeya geya si… Jo tuhade naal hoya, kise naal na hove… (I had left on my own but you were sacked. What has happened to you, should not happen to anybody else…),” the former Finance Minister said while referring to Kalia.

Reasoning his quitting the post of FM, Lal Singh said the FM has no powers in Punjab. “In Centre, the FM has control over income tax, excise and revenue but in Punjab, both excise and revenue are separate portfolios held by different ministers, leaving FM with no role in collection and enhancement of revenue,” he said, while claiming that he had even become a hypertension patient after holding FM’s portfolio.

Opposing the budget proposals presented for 2012-13, Lal Singh asked the FM that how he proposed to pay whopping interest on the rising debt and fulfilling the pre-promises that require major revenue. “Do you intend to impose fresh taxes,” he questioned.

Pitching in, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia counter questioned Lal Singh that whether he wants more taxes, to which the former FM clarified that he has no such intentions but he wants to check the tax evasion, which he said was not possible without government’s connivance, and streamlining the tax collection system. Backing the budget proposals, SAD MLA Dr Daljit Singh Cheema demanded recasting of the much-publicised MNREGA scheme to help the small and marginal farmers to cover wages for labour on their own farms and urged the Centre to adopt a pro-farmer approach while formulating farm policies and promote agro-based industry in the state to help the farmers in the state, who have struggled a lot to make the country self-sufficient in food grains. He also demanded a complete restructuring of the agricultural cost and price process by linking the MSP to the market forces or accepting Dr Swaminathan formula of giving 50 per cent profit over and above the investment incurred by the farmers.

“To give more push to MNREGA scheme in Punjab, it would be appropriate to increase the wages paid to the labourers and there is urgent need to cover the small and marginal farmers in the scheme as they are the worst sufferers of the wrong farm policies of the Centre,” Dr Cheema stressed.