Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri accuses AAP of isolating Punjab from national development
Union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of isolating the state from national development by failing to implement key central schemes.
Puri, who was in Ludhiana to campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party's Ludhiana West bypoll candidate Jiwan Gupta, cited Ayushman Bharat scheme as a 'glaring example of how people of Punjab were being denied basic benefits available in other states'.
'States that cooperate with the Centre's policies are witnessing robust development. Sadly, Punjab is not among them,' he said.
Puri also raised concerns on Punjab's law and order situation, and termed the Bhagwant Mann government's war on drugs as a 'hoax'.
Speaking about India's economic journey under the Modi government, Puri said, 'In 2014, India was the 10th largest economy at 2 trillion dollars. Today, with a 4.3 trillion dollar economy, India has surpassed the UK and Japan to become the fourth largest economy in the world. We are poised to overtake Germany by next year and become the third largest economy by 2026.'
Citing World Bank projections, he said that with a growth rate of 6.5%, India stands out among global economies, significantly ahead of nations like the UK, Germany, and Japan, each of which is growing at just around 2%.
'The world is watching India with great interest. But Punjab's isolation from this national growth trajectory is unfortunate,' Puri remarked.
Cheema hits back
Meanwhile, Punjab finance minister Harpal Cheema hit back, stating that the BJP government had plunged India into a debt spiral. He said that when the BJP assumed power in 2014, the nation's debt stood at approximately ₹55 lakh crore, which has since ballooned to ₹215 lakh crore.
On Puri's allegations about Punjab not implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme, he said the central scheme is riddled with many problems that prevent many from receiving its benefits. On the contrary, Cheema said, AAP's Mohalla Clinics had provided treatment to millions of poor families without any restriction.
He also questioned Puri about the BJP's 'unfulfilled promises' of depositing ₹15 lakh into the account of every Indian citizen and creating two crore jobs annually, among others.
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