Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann publicly criticised the BJP-led central government on Thursday for their decision to reduce the rural development fund (RDF) and market fee on foodgrains. Mann expressed disappointment with the recent BJP members from Punjab for not addressing the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to Mann, the BJP’s “anti-Punjab and anti-farmer” agenda has been exposed due to these reductions. He stated that the market fee was cut from 3% to 2%, while the RDF was reduced from 3% to 0% during the Rabi season. As a result, Punjab is estimated to lose INR 250 crore in market fees and INR 750 crore in RDF, totaling INR 1,000 crore in losses.
Mann’s comments targeted several former Congress members who recently joined the BJP, including former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar, among others. He questioned their courage in bringing up the issue with the Prime Minister.
In addition to Congress defectors, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, the BJP candidate for the upcoming May 10 Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, and Lok Insaaf Party chief Simarjeet Bains, who announced support for the BJP in the bypoll, were also mentioned by Mann.
Mann later emphasised that AAP leaders had requested the central government to clear pending RDF payments, which are crucial for rural development in the state. However, he accused the BJP-led central government of denying Punjab its rightful funds and “robbing” the state of an additional INR 250 cr.
The Punjab government is currently seeking INR 3,000 crore in pending RDF payments from the central government.
