New Delhi- Describing the Union Budget as a Budget that made Punjab feel 'alienated', Lok Sabha Member Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer today said that Punjab was not even mentioned in this Budget. Participating in the debate on the Budget in the Lok Sabha session here today, Meet Hayer questioned the Union Government and said that at least answer the Punjabis as to why the central government hates Punjab so much. The farmers of Punjab saved the country from starvation and our youth laid down their lives to protect the country, but instead of honouring us, the central government is adopting an alienating attitude.
Meet Hayer, Aam Aadmi Party MP from Sangrur got emotional and said, "A huge price has to be paid to make the country self-reliant in terms of food grains. Our precious natural resources, water and land are also destroyed. People fell victim to serious diseases” Despite all this, Punjab was kept out of the Budget, which exposed the anti-Punjab face of the central government.
Strongly presenting the side of Punjab, the Member of Parliament said that if the central government has respect for the sacrifices of Punjab's farmers and youth, then the state should be given a special package and a special plan should be drawn up separately for the industry.
Strongly opposing the arrangement of providing funds to other states except Punjab for flood prevention in the budget, the MP said that whenever there is heavy rain in our neighbouring hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, disaster happens in Punjab. He said that due to last year's floods, a lot of fertile land in Punjab has been destroyed so much that farmers cannot cultivate for two decades.
Describing the Union budget as an anti-farmer, youth, women and poor budget, Meet Hayer said that the fertilizer subsidy was reduced by 27 percent, which will further reduce the income of farmers. He said that cutting the budget for the youth would cause a big blow to the development of the country. Meet Hayer took a sharp dig at the Union Budget and termed it as 'Two Ka Vikas, Baki sab da Satyanas'.