Chandigarh November 24:
The Congress has chosen its man of economics to clear election manifestos of poll-bound states. Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will head the committee that will screen the promises Congress makes in the 2012 polls on workability.
Disclosing this Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said: “We are in the process of making the poll manifesto. It will then be sent to a committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee, which will clear it on the basis of its workability.” Pranab’s involvement assumes significance as the state’s economy will be an important part of the Congress manifesto. As Union Finance Minister he is also well aware of Punjab’s fiscal situation, following detailed presentation made to him by the state last year, while seeking a debt waiver package.
In fact, his role was much talked about in the political storm that followed the debt waiver issue, which later led to former finance minister Manpreet Badal’s ouster from the government and the party. Manpreet had claimed that Pranab had promised Punjab a debt waiver package, provided the state committed itself to curtailing subsidies and other conditionalities. But the state government had reacted by saying that it has not received any letter or official communication from the Centre on debt waiver nor any conditions have been spelled out. “It is not something that one finance minister can personally promise the other,” the government had said.
The Congress says the manifesto has to be workable as they want to promise what they can fulfill. “Unlike the Akalis, who promised 225 items in their manifesto and executed 15 out of them, we promised 54 and completed all of them,” Amarinder said, adding that the party’s manifesto will spell out the complete roadmap for Punjab’s development. Stating that industrialisation is the way ahead for the state, he said: “We were number one state at one point but now have slipped to number 17. If states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat can do it, why can’t Punjab?”
On Bihar’s much-publicised development under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said Punjab’s case is different from Bihar. “Unlike Bihar, which started from zero and has come up to 50, Punjab is already at 60 and needs to reach the 100 mark.”
The Congress has chosen its man of economics to clear election manifestos of poll-bound states. Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will head the committee that will screen the promises Congress makes in the 2012 polls on workability.
Disclosing this Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said: “We are in the process of making the poll manifesto. It will then be sent to a committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee, which will clear it on the basis of its workability.” Pranab’s involvement assumes significance as the state’s economy will be an important part of the Congress manifesto. As Union Finance Minister he is also well aware of Punjab’s fiscal situation, following detailed presentation made to him by the state last year, while seeking a debt waiver package.
In fact, his role was much talked about in the political storm that followed the debt waiver issue, which later led to former finance minister Manpreet Badal’s ouster from the government and the party. Manpreet had claimed that Pranab had promised Punjab a debt waiver package, provided the state committed itself to curtailing subsidies and other conditionalities. But the state government had reacted by saying that it has not received any letter or official communication from the Centre on debt waiver nor any conditions have been spelled out. “It is not something that one finance minister can personally promise the other,” the government had said.
The Congress says the manifesto has to be workable as they want to promise what they can fulfill. “Unlike the Akalis, who promised 225 items in their manifesto and executed 15 out of them, we promised 54 and completed all of them,” Amarinder said, adding that the party’s manifesto will spell out the complete roadmap for Punjab’s development. Stating that industrialisation is the way ahead for the state, he said: “We were number one state at one point but now have slipped to number 17. If states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat can do it, why can’t Punjab?”
On Bihar’s much-publicised development under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said Punjab’s case is different from Bihar. “Unlike Bihar, which started from zero and has come up to 50, Punjab is already at 60 and needs to reach the 100 mark.”
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