Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal, who is at loggerheads with his deputy chief minister (dyCM) cousin Sukhbir Badal over a conditional loan waiver offered by the Centre to the state, received a major setback on Tuesday night when he was suspended by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for “anti-party activities”.
Manpreet has been in the midst of a row in the ruling SAD-BJP alliance after he supported a reported offer of the Union finance ministry to waive a part of Punjab’s Rs70,000-crore debt, which mainly arose during the militancy days of the state, but with riders such as cutting power subsidies to farmers and levying user charge in some service sectors.
Asked if Manpreet would be dropped from the council of ministers, SAD secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said it was the prerogative of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
He, however, added further action against the state finance minister, who is a nephew of Parkash, was likely after October 20 by when SAD expects a reply to a show-cause notice issued to him.
Manpreet has been charged with misleading the party on the debt waiver issue after he proclaimed on the floor of the legislative assembly that Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had promised the favour to Punjab.
A committee constituted by SAD president and dyCM Sukhbir Badal accused Manpreet of breaching party discipline by making announcements based on heresy, since there was nothing on record.
The row between the two ministers started after Manpreet “suggested and supported the Centre’s formula to bail Punjab out of its economic crisis” and criticised Sukhbir’s style of functioning at the same time.
According to Manpreet, Mukherjee has agreed to waive Punjab’s Rs10,000 crore debt on account of militancy and a Rs29,000 crore small savings loan that will be rescheduled for payment in 30 years.
—(With PTI inputs)
