The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said here on Saturday that the clause of ‘para military forces on rent’ should be abolished as despite being a border state Punjab is made to pay a hefty fee for deployment of Central para military forces to maintain law and order in the state.

Addressing a gathering in Gurdaspur on Saturday, the chief minister said though a border state, the state is fighting the nation’s war to combat terrorism and drugs but unfortunately whenever the state needs central para military forces to maintain law and order on behalf of the country we are asked to pay a hefty fee for it.

He called it unfortunate as the state whose sons are martyred while serving the country in the Armed forces has to pay these fees.

Mann said this clause of ‘para military forces on rent’ should be abolished as far as Punjab is concerned adding that the centre must be magnanimous in allocation as companies as now only the deployment of force is too inadequate against the demand.

The CM said the Narendra Modi government is suffering from anti-Punjab syndrome due to which they are hell bent on ruining the state. He said if the will of BJP led NDA government prevails then they will omit the name of Punjab from the national anthem also. Mann assailed the Union government for meting out step motherly treatment to the state.

The CM slammed the Union government for arresting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders like Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and Sanjay Singh. He said baffled over the success and pro-people stance of the AAP, the Centre is now conspiring to arrest Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal too.

Mann said these people can arrest Delhi Chief Minister but they can’t kill his ideology and love for him in the hearts of people.

The Chief Minister predicted that the people are so fed up with corrupt leaders of traditional parties that AAP will sweep all the seats in the state during the coming general elections. He said that people have made up their mind to give all the 13 seats of the state and one of Chandigarh in upcoming general elections to the AAP.

Mann said the tally in coming Lok Sabha elections will be 13-0 where 13 will be in the favor of AAP and the other parties will not even be open to their accounts.

The CM said this pilferage of the common man’s money has been checked and now action will be taken against those who have usurped the taxpayer’s money. He said that due to these policies of the Aam Aadmi Party people have always supported this party. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that due to the love of people, the party has got the status of national party merely in 11 years.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union government, the CM said the Centre has stalled the share of state in rural development fund (RDF) due to which development of rural areas has been jeopardised.

He said similar is the case of the GST where the funds have been not released since long as BJP is showing its anti-Punjab stance. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that every step is aimed at harassing Punjab and Punjabis but we won’t ever bow down before them.