Accusing the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to the state,Punjab Chief minister PS Badal on Thursday blamed the UPA-led union government for the state failing to complete its biggest ever 'irrigation project. The project was launched with much fanfare four years ago on December 8,2007 in Bathinda by the present state government and envisaged the strengthening and development of canals and distributaries at the cost of Rs 3,243 crore. We wanted to complete it and we tried our best but due to the step-motherly treatment of the union government,the project could not be completed and now we are doing our own with our resources, the chief minister said. Badal further said that the Centres policies did not favour Punjab. The Centre pitched in 90 per cent of the share for the Rajasthan feeder but in the case of the Sirhind feeder in Punjab,which flows along the Rajasthan canal,it provided only 25 per cent of the amount,the chief minister added. He even accused the media of writing one sided stories by blaming the state government instead of focussing on the Centres step-motherly treatment. On the slapping incident in Bathinda and the lathicharge on protesting EGS teachers on Wednesday,the chief minister said that discipline should be maintained by protesters as well. The way they are acting,like trying to barge into any function is not democratic,Badal added. In a rally later at Tarn Taran,the chief minister,while making a scathing attack on the Congress party,said that the people of Punjab especially the Sikhs should not forget the deep wounds inflicted by the Congress like the attack on the Sri Harmandir Sahib and killing many innocent people in anti-Sikh carnage of 1984.
