CM calls for ouster of Congress at Centre

Goindwal Sahib (Tarn Taran) Oct 18 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today virtually sounded a poll bugle exhorting people to oust the Congress and bring in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at Centre in the next Parliamentary elections to ensure justice and equity for the state.

Addressing a massive gathering at a public rally after laying the foundation stone of 540 MW Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant Mr Badal said that the people of Punjab had lots of expectations from the UPA government but were completely dejected due to the ''step-motherly treatment meted out to Punjab despite Dr Manmohan Singh at the helm of affairs as the Prime Minister''.

All the long-pending demands of the state, be it economic, agriculture, industry, inter-state issues among others had been utterly ignored by the Congress, he said adding that Punjab was completely ignored in the Centre's agenda even on agricultural front despite being biggest contributor to the central pool.

''Perhaps it was for the first time in the history of agriculture economy that the Centre had fixed the MSP of paddy below the recommendations of Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP). The Centre's negative attitude against the farmers was evident when it announced to fix Rs 850 per quintal as MSP for paddy, which was far below Rs.1000 per quintal recommended by CACP, '' he said.

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