State Agriculture Minister Urges Centre to Expedite Release of RDF Owed to Punjab

CHANDIGARH: The ongoing tussle between the Punjab Chief Minister and the Centre took a new turn as the Chief Minister issued a stern warning regarding the release of funds. Expressing his concerns, the Chief Minister emphasized that if the funds were released without proper consideration, it would be deemed unacceptable and will lead to Supreme Court Intervention.

The Second day of the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha was marred by chaos and disruptions right from the beginning. The proceedings took an unruly turn as the Minister for Local Government, Balkar Singh, proposed that the session should focus solely on the purpose for which it was called, avoiding discussions on unrelated matters.

Opposition leader Partap Singh Bajwa objected to this approach, insisting that the purpose of the session should be clearly explained before any further proceedings. Bajwa highlighted that a session on Operation Lotus had been convened nine months ago, during which discussions were held with the Chief Minister and complaints were lodged by various MLAs. However, no concrete response or action has been taken on those matters yet. Bajwa called for accountability and demanded answers in the Parliament regarding the status of those complaints. The Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha stated that the matter is currently under investigation.

Following the objection, Congress MLAs decided to boycott the session in protest. Partap Bajwa, speaking outside the Vidhan Sabha, expressed his disappointment with the government's lack of response and transparency regarding the pending issues. He questioned why no agenda or clear explanation was provided for the session. Meanwhile, Ashwani Sharma, the BJP state president, also criticized the meeting, alleging that the Punjab government should refrain from interfering in religious matters. Sharma further accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of dancing to the tune of Arvind Kejriwal. He claimed that the two-day session was organized solely to appease Kejriwal.

Earlier in the assembly, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudian addressed the issue of the Punjab government's Rural Development Fund (RDF) owed by the central government. Khudian emphasized that the non-release of the RDF funds, amounting to Rs 3,622 crore, has adversely impacted rural development work in Punjab. He proposed approaching the central government to expedite the release of the funds, stressing that the Punjab government has been awaiting this allocation for the past four seasons.

The ongoing chaos and boycott in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha have highlighted the increasing tensions and dissatisfaction among opposition parties and legislators. The lack of clarity and effective communication from the government has further fueled the frustrations of the opposition, leading to a disruption in the session's proceedings.