Badal accuses Centre of excessive centralization of powers

Muktsar, Apr 6: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today accused the Congress-led UPA government of adopting a policy "excessive centralization of powers and being bent on ruining the country socially, politically and economically".

Addressing a gathering here on the second day of his thanks-giving tour of Lambi assembly segment, the Chief Minister charged the Centre with ignoring the welfare of people by formulating the policies "autocratically without consulting the state governments". He said the tendency of the Centre to "usurp" the powers of state governments was "very dangerous as it not only violated the fundamental principles of democracy but also develops a feeling of alienation among states".

Advocating a better connect between the union government and the state government before formulation of a national-level policy, the Chief Minister said the Centre must take advice from state governments so that good policies for the betterment of people could be drafted and implemented properly.

"At present, the union government is not taking any advice from the state governments due to which sheer chaos is prevailing in the country," alleged Badal who led his party Shiromani Akali Dal back to power in the recent assembly polls. He said while Congress had come to power in the name of 'Aam Aadmi' but was doling out "largesse to big oil companies by deliberately hiking fuel prices exorbitantly in the last few years for their, much to the dismay of the common man".

The Chief Minister alleged that the Centre was far more concerned about the interests of big industrial houses and least bothered to mitigate the woes of farmers of the state who played a vital role in making the country self sufficient in food production.

PTI