Ahmedabad, Feb 21 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday said the state government would present its fifth Budget in March, reiterating that it would once again be a pro-people Budget focused on the welfare of every section of society.

Interacting with the media here, CM Mann said the government has consistently taken pro-people and citizen-centric decisions that have transformed the state’s trajectory.

“The Punjab government will present its fifth Budget in March, and we will continue our tradition of presenting a pro-people Budget aimed at the welfare of all. Our sole aim is to ensure the well-being of the common man, and we are making strenuous efforts to achieve this. The forthcoming Budget will again ensure immense benefit to the people of Punjab.”

Taking on the Union Government, CM Mann said over consecutive years, the Union Budget presented by the BJP-led NDA Government has been directionless and tilted towards the affluent sections of society. “In Gujarat, where there is virtually no opposition, the agonies of the common man have multiplied, and people continue to suffer. The Congress and the BJP are playing a friendly match here, and as a result, the voice of the common man has been suppressed,” he said.

The Chief Minister remarked that while the Prime Minister “talks about making the country Vishwa Guru, people in his home state are struggling for basic necessities. To muzzle the voice of the Opposition in a democracy, the Union Government has introduced the concept of Digital Janta, where vote data is created through mischief and used to win elections in every state.

“Today, the people of Gujarat are looking towards AAP as their saviour. There is hope in the eyes of every Gujarati family in the form of AAP.” Raising the issue of financial rights of states, CM Mann said Punjab’s legitimate share in the Rural Development Fund (RDF) has been undemocratically stalled by the Centre, a pattern seen in all non-BJP ruled states.

“In a democracy, the government is of the people, for the people and by the people. But today, it has become a trend to suppress the voice of the Opposition. Just like a bouquet is admired for its variety of flowers, democracy thrives when every voice is heard,” he said.

–IANS

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