Jakhar lashes out at SAD over GST on 'langar'

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar today targeted the opposition SAD saying the welfare of Punjab could not be expected from them when they could not even convince their alliance partner BJP on
waiving the GST on 'langar' served in Gurdwaras.
The SAD is an ally of the BJP which leads the ruling NDA at the Centre.
Addressing the gathering at village Thathian Mahantan in this district, Jakhar said the SAD raked up religion every now and then but had not made any sincere effort to get the GST on langar waived by the NDA government at the centre.
He alleged that even after ruling Punjab for 10 years, the SAD did not formulate any step for farm debt waiver.

He claimed that now, when the Amarinder Singh government announced the debt waiver scheme, the Akalis were finding it difficult to digest this pro-farmer measure.

The Gurdaspur MP further alleged that the SAD always claimed to be a pro-farmer party but did little to protect their interests.
He asked the SAD leaders to make it clear whether they were in favour of debt waiver or not.
Congress MLAs would visit all villages to ensure that no eligible farmer remained devoid of the benefits of the scheme, he said.
Jakhar also raised questions about the declaration made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Union Budget regarding giving farmers remuneration to the tune of one and a half times the cost of the produce.

He said the Congress government in Punjab inherited an economy which was in a shambles. It is being brought on track, he said.
Jakhar accused the previous SAD-BJP government of "bungling" by converting Rs 32,000 crore in the foodgrain accounts into loans just a day before the counting of votes in the Assembly elections thus consigning "Punjab's future into darkness".
A caretaker government had no right to take such a policy decision, he said.