Not time for blame game; Punjab needs healing touch: Capt Amarinder
CHANDIGARH, September 13 (WISHAVWARTA): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said that this was not the time for getting into any blame game or confrontation as to who was responsible for floods and who provided how much relief to the state.
“Punjab right now needs the healing touch and it cannot be possible without everyone coming together”, Capt Amairnder said in a statement here today, while suggesting that the state government should, instead of trying to confront the central government, coordinate with it for ameliorating the plight of the flood-hit people.
Referring to the controversy surrounding the State Disaster Relief Fund, the former Chief Minister observed that it could be resolved later. “Why get stuck in the process of finding fault with each other?” he remarked, while suggesting that the Chief Minister should seek an urgent appointment with the Prime Minister and present Punjab’s case. “We have to accept and admit that only the central government can bail out Punjab in this crisis”, he said.
Capt Amarinder noted that lapses have certainly taken place due to which huge devastation was caused in Punjab. “I am not saying that the damages could have been completely prevented, but the loss could certainly have been minimized by timely visualizing the situation, particularly when there was a clear forecast of more than normal rains in the monsoon”, he added.
He said, the lapses will need to be fixed and must be fixed, which can be done later. Right now, he suggested, the government’s priority must be to ameliorate the sorry plight of the flood-hit people who are in dire need of relief and rehabilitation.
The two-times former Chief Minister also drew the attention of the government towards the wheat sowing season which is right around the corner. He hoped that the government coordinates with the Punjab Agricultural University and other experts to help and guide the farmers against an unprecedented situation. He said, there will be difficulty in sowing the wheat in some parts due to the dampness of the soil, which will need to be addressed on top priority.
