Jakhar slams Akali Dal leaders for failing to get exemption from Centre
MP alleges Akali Dal converted ₹32,000 crore from foodgrain accounts to loans ahead of assembly elections’ result The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday slammed the SAD leaders for ‘failing’ to get exemption from the goods and service tax (GST) on langar items at the Golden Temple.
“Akalis failed to get exemption for items on the free community kitchen from their alliance partner BJP in the Centre. What else can people expect from them?” said the Lok Sabha MP, while he addressed a rally at Thathian Mahantan village here. The SGPC had recently claimed that after implementation of the GST, the Golden Temple, has shelled out ₹2 crore in form of GST for purchasing ration for langar (free community kitchen) and parshad.
Jakhar alleged, “After ruling Punjab for a decade, the SAD didn’t formulate steps for farm debt waiver. Now when the Captain Amarinder Singh-led government has announced debt waiver scheme, the Akalis are unable to digest this.”
The MP also refuted claims of the Union finance minister made in the budget regarding giving one-and-a-half times cots of produce incurred to farmers and asked the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal to clarify the claim. “On what basis SAD MPs are singing praises of the Union Budget when it is a cruel joke on the farming community,” he said.
The PPCC president alleged that present economic crisis in state is due to wrong policies of the previous government. “SAD converted ₹32,000 crore from foodgrain accounts to loans ahead of polls result, consigning state’s future to darkness.