The Centre has dealt a blow to the federal structure of the country by "continuously usurping" the powers of the states, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today.
He claimed that due to policy of excessive centralisation farmers are on the verge of economic disaster.
Policies "arbitrarily framed" by the Centre were resulting in lopsided development of the country due to which the nation was confronting several problems, he said.
Citing an example, Badal said that the hard working and resilient farmers of Punjab, who have made the country self reliant in food production, were on the verge of economic disaster due to the Centre's policy of excessive centralisation.
"The Centre's decision to enhance the cost of agriculture inputs exorbitantly without giving remunerative MSP to the farmers has broken their backbone," he added.
"The Congress-led UPA government has given a fatal blow to the federal structure of the country by continuously usurping the powers of the states," the chief minister said.
Successive Congress governments at the Centre have ignored the enormous contribution of Punjabis in the national freedom struggle.
The veteran Akali leader said that the Union government was "meting out" step motherly treatment to the state due to which the development of Punjab has suffered adversely.
"If the states do not comply with the norms set by the Union government they stop the developmental grants to them as a result of which the growth of the state suffers," he alleged.
Advocating "true federal system" for the country, Badal said that it would help in ensuring the holistic development of all the states.
He claimed that the Union government has forced the state government to impose property tax in the state.
However, Badal said that due care has been taken by them while levying this tax so that no burden is put on the people.
Earlier, Badal addressed the gathering during a function to mark the centenary of a newspaper here at the native village of Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha.
