Punjab Minister Harbhajan Singh strongly condemned a Congress leader's 'anti-poor' personal remark, vowing protest. Meanwhile, the AAP government is set to present a 'historic' state budget, highlighting major gains in excise and GST revenue.
Minister Slams 'Anti-Poor' Remarks
Punjab Minister Harbhajan Singh on Friday strongly condemned Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa's remarks targeting him, calling the party's stance "low-level, anti-poor and anti-labour." Bajwa had earlier accused Singh of corruption and made a personal remark about his background as a band performer, stating, "He who used to be a band player will be taken to task by us." Responding to the comments, Singh told ANI, "Our entire team is protesting against Pratap Singh Bajwa's remarks. I am the son of a band musician, and it is only because of the support of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann that I have reached this position. The Congress's low-level, anti-poor, anti-labour mentality has been exposed. We have come to the Vidhan Sabha to protest, and this will be the final nail in Congress's coffin." Singh also added that he would not let the matter rest peacefully and would pursue the issue further.
'Historic' State Budget on March 8
Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has said that the Punjab government's upcoming state budget, to be presented on March 8, will be a "historic" one, highlighting gains in excise and GST revenues over the past four years.
Cheema Highlights Revenue Gains
Speaking with ANI, Cheema said, "Our budget, coming on Women's Day on March 8th, will be a historic budget. We have made significant gains in the last four years. Whether it's excise or GST, when the Congress government was in power, its treasury received Rs 27,395 crore in excise revenue. To date, in 46 months, we have received Rs 37,975 crore. Furthermore, if I talk about GST, when the Congress government was in power, they only brought in Rs 61,000 crore, but during our four-year tenure, we have recorded revenue of Rs 83,000 crore."
Citing revenue figures, the minister said that excise collections have witnessed a substantial rise compared to the previous Congress government. He further stated that GST revenue has also seen a marked increase during the current government's tenure.
Earlier, on February 26, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat issued a notification summoning the Sixteenth Vidhan Sabha of the State of Punjab to meet for its Twelfth Budget Session on March 6. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)