Badal against terms for granting central funds to states

Terming them as "illogical and utterly unrealistic", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today demanded withdrawal of conditions imposed by the Centre for release of funds for state government schemes.
The Chief Minister asked state Congress leaders, especially PCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, to join government's efforts to get the conditions removed, so that states have greater freedom in implementing their schemes.
"PCC leaders, including Bajwa and Jakhar must join the Akalis in getting more freedom to the state, rather than being obsessed with petty quarrels about getting names and pictures of duly elected leaders in states removed from schemes started by them," Badal said.

"Congress leaders should join us in removal of these anti-people and anti-state conditions that hamper growth, development and even relief operations," he said.
Talking about controversy surrounding his photos on partly centrally-funded ambulances in Punjab, the Chief Minster said, "If the Centre wants state governments not to use names or pictures of leaders duly elected by the people with schemes for which it contributes, then by the same logic, would they remove the names of Congress leaders from central schemes as the money which goes into them is collected only from states as taxes," he asked.
The entire controversy was "petty and unworthy of people holding important positions in the country," Badal said.

The Chief Minister said he had never objected to the use of names or pictures of any Congress leader with any scheme started with public money collected from states.