State getting a lot from the Centre: Sukhbir

Shiromani Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal pinning a party badge on former Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary of Punjab Baldev Singh Khaira. Mr. Khaira jaoined the SAD along with his supporters in Chandigarh on Tuesday.Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday downplayed the fact that no one from his party was inducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Council of Ministers in the latest exercise, saying the State is already getting a lot from the Centre for the development.

“Punjab is getting lot of allocations from the Centre,” he replied when asked why no Akali leader was inducted in the Central ministry in the expansion carried out on Tuesday morning.

“Punjab had received Rs 50,000 crore for different projects from the Centre,” he said.

Besides, Rs 1600 crore had been received to set up a IIT at Ropar, he said, adding “another thousands of crore had been received for broadening roads.”

Punjab is slated to go to polls next year.

The Akali Dal is represented in the Union Council of Ministers by Food Processing Minister Harismrat Kaur Badal, wife of Sukhbir Badal.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister said the SAD would declare list of candidates within a month for the next polls. -PTI