CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for its decision to reduce the rural development fund (RDF) as well as the market fee on foodgrains, daring the "new BJP leaders" to take up the issue with the prime minister.
Mann said the BJP's "anti-Punjab and anti-farmer" face has been exposed.
"Despite our efforts, the market fee has been reduced from 3 per cent to 2 per cent and RDF from 3 per cent to 0 per cent in this Rabi season --- Punjab will lose Rs 250 crore in market fee and Rs 750 crore in RDF, (which is a) total Rs 1,000 crore," he tweeted.
"Captain (Amarinder Singh), (Sunil) Jakhar, Manpreet Badal, Bains brothers (Simarjeet Singh Bains, Balwinder Bains), Rana (Gurmit Singh) Sodhi, (Gurpreet Singh) Kangar, Fateh Jung Bajwa, Inder (Iqbal Singh) Atwal, who became new BJP members, do they have the courage to take up this matter with Modi ji???" he added.
Former chief minister Amarinder Singh, Sunil Jakhar, Manpreet Singh Badal, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Fateh Jung Bajwa had joined the BJP after quitting the Congress.
Similarly, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, who is the BJP candidate for the May 10 Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, shifted to the saffron party from the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Lok Insaaf Party chief Simarjeet Bains has announced to support the BJP in the Jalandhar bypoll.
Punjab levies 3 per cent each RDF and market fee on the minimum support price of wheat and paddy.
Later in a statement, Chief Minister Mann said the AAP leaders have been asking the Centre to clear the pending RDF payment. "This money is used for the development of rural areas of the state. But the BJP-led central government kept denying Punjab its money, and now on top of that, this Rabi season they reduced market fee and robbed Punjab of another Rs 250 crore," he said.
"The Modi government has been working against Punjab and its farmers because of its defeat during the farmers' movement. Today, the Centre has again shown its bitterness towards Punjab and the farmers by brazenly refusing to give Rs 1,000 crore to the state," alleged Mann.
He said the Modi government should know that Punjab and the state's farmers have made the country food sufficient. "But in return what has the Centre ever done for Punjab and our farmers," he asked.
The Punjab government has been demanding Rs 3,000 crore of pending RDF from the Centre.