‘Manpreet sold lies, wants to be CM’

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday blasted finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, his cousin, alleging that his economics is based on “fake claims”.

“Even the loan waiver announced by this government is a fraud. It does not give any relief to poor farmers. The FM should also tell whether only cooperative loans are covered under the scheme or also those of banks and commission agents,” he added.

Giving a data presentation to “expose” Manpreet’s claims that the SAD-BJP government left Punjab in a crisis, Sukhbir said, “Every logic he is using is fake... He is showing a gloomy picture of finances to the CM, and creating a mess as he wants to be the CM.”

Sukhbir, who was deputy chief minister in two terms of the SADBJP regime, also shared a copy of the speech given by Manpreet as finance minister in the SAD-BJP government in 2007 and compared it with the budget speech of this year: “Everything is before you. In 2007, he used the same language to curse the preceding Congress government with the charge of leaving behind heavy debt. In this budget, he accused us of that. He is a student of law and is a failed finance minister,.”

He claimed the state is not in a bad situation on financial borrowings.

Showing details from the Reserve Bank of India, the SAD chief said, “Punjab is on number 13 as far as loans are concerned, whereas Harayna is at the top.” Haryana is governed at present by the BJP, though the Akalis had fought the polls against its otherwise-ally in the neighbouring state. At the press conference, Sukhbir was accompanied by senior BJP leader and MLA Som Prakash.