हिंदी
CM lying with Supreme Confidence on religious issues
“STATE GOVT DELIBERATEY SITTING ON FUNDS ALREADY RECEIVED FROM CENTRE”: Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Chandigarh:August, 8
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Sardarni (Mrs) Harsimrat Kaur Badal today asked the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amaridner to tell the Sikh Sangat why he is holding back the central refund meant for Guru ka Langar in the holy Sri Harmandar Sahib and other Sikh shrines.”
“The Congress government in the state is either too irreverent or too lazy – or both – to fulfil its constitutional obligation towards the Guru’s abode. It has now gotten into the habit of expecting the Guru Ghar to beg at its door even for what is rightfully due to it. Not to speak of pooling the state’s own share to the central refund, the Amarinder Govt is sitting tight even on what the centre expeditiously sends to it for refund of Langar expenses. This is your contribution to the great Sikh quom which you never tire of talking about, despite your false oath on holy Sikh scriptures” said Mrs Badal lashing out at the CM
She asked the Chief Minister to stop abusing the “sacred money meant for Guru ka Langar” for other purposes or be ready to face the wrath of the Sangat .
“ While Sikhs and Sikh shrines have received worldwide attention for their exceptional Langar ‘seva’, especially during the Covid19 period, the Congress government in Punjab is doing all it can to make things difficult for them in this regard, refusing even to release the money received by it from the Union Government as ‘Guru ka Langar refund’. It is frustrating that the CM lies with supreme confidence even on religious issues and had claimed sometime back that he had issued ‘strict instructions’ that not a penny belonging to Guru Ghar should be held back for even an hour. His big talk is matched with petty attitudes and total inaction. He is either not taken seriously by his own government or is taken too seriously on his known bias against Sikh religious institutions,” said Mrs Badal in a statement here this afternoon.
Mrs Badal further said that the Govt of India had released another instalment of over Rs 66 lakh as refund against the Goods & Services Tax (GST) charged on items purchased for ‘langars’ in the holy Sri Harmandar Sahib and other Gurdwara Sahiban. This, she said , was meant towards the settlement of accounts for the fiscal year 2019-20 but the Congress government in Punjab . She said that she was thankful to the Govt of India, especially the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman for releasing the amount but feels embarrassed when she has to face them on the non-utilisation by her own state’s government. “ She asked the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to also come forward and clear the state’s share towards the religious institutions piling up since 2017.
Mrs Badal had earlier intervened with the Prime Minister to get the GST on Langar items waived under a special scheme under which both the central GST and the IGST (Integrated Goods and Service Tax) imposed on these items for Gurdwara Sahiban are refunded by the Government of India. This was done to compensate for the absence of direct waiver on these items .
Mrs Badal disclosed that the GOI has so far released crores of rupees for this purpose. “But the Congress government in Punjab is yet to refund a sum of Rs 3.13 crore to Shri Harmandar Sahib and other Sikh shrines through the SGPC. This includes Rs 1.68 crore pending for over two years for the period from August 2017 to July 2018.”
