Congress to blame for Punjab's financial mess: Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday blamed the Congress for putting a financial burden on his state, and said the party has no moral right to demand a 'white paper' on the issue.

"Punjab, being a border state, suffered the brunt of partition but the Congress had further derailed the state's economy through the sinister move of putting the entire burden of expenditure by the central security forces during the black days of militancy on the state exchequer," he told reporters.

The chief minister was here to inaugurate Adarsh School.

Indirectly hinting at Himachal Pradesh, Badal said the mass exodus of industry took place from Punjab after the Congress government gave tax incentives to the neighbouring states.

Badal said successive Congress governments at the centre meted out step-motherly treatment to Punjab, which was a major setback for the state's economy.

"It's shameful that the perpetrators of this major damage to Punjab are today blaming us for the mess created by them," he added.

Replying to a query, the chief minister said that in democracy, every party has the right to expand its political base so there was nothing wrong if the BJP's central leadership was focusing on the state.

He said the Shiromani Akali Dal has no objection if its alliance partner was holding functions to consolidate its mass base in the state.

Badal said the SAD-BJP alliance was firm and everlasting as both the partners have full faith and trust in each other.

"Our relations are cordial and smooth because the BJP leadership knows it well that only the Akali Dal had stood with them during their turbulent times," he added.

Justifying the recent imposition of cess on petrol and diesel, the chief minister said it was necessary for giving a further fillip to the massive ongoing development of the state.

Badal said that soon all the northern states would have a uniform tax structure in the region, to which all of them had agreed.