Sonia to discuss debt issue with state congress leaders today

Jalandhar : Congress president Sonia Gandhi will discuss in detail tomorrow with Punjab party delegates the issue of the state’s debt of Rs 71,000 crore. Sonia Gandhi will meet the Punjab delegates at 11 am in Delhi. Speaking to The Tribune in this regard on the phone today, Congress Working Committee member Jagmeet Singh Brar said he discussed the debt issue with Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.  “As a member of the Working Committee of the AICC, I was on the stage and got an opportunity to take up the issue of debt with Sonia Gandhi, the Prime Minister, the FM and Rahul Gandhi”, said Jagmeet Singh, adding that the four leaders showed their concern with regard to the debt and promised to look into the matter. He said when he took up this issue with Sonia Gandhi, she said a meeting of the party delegates from the state should be held tomorrow to discuss it in detail.Though Sonia Gandhi would meet delegates of all other states also, at her meeting with the Punjab delegates the debt issue and other matters related to the state would be discussed.

Jagmeet Singh said when he spoke to the Prime Minister in this regard, he “told me to discuss it” with Pranab Mukherjee, who was sitting along with the PM. “All three of us deliberated on the issue for a while and then Pranab Mukherjee said he would convene a meeting of all senior Congress leaders, including MPs, from the state to reopen the issue”, said Jagmeet Singh. Earlier,as Punjab Finance Minister, Manpreet Singh Badal had held several meetings with Mukherjee on this issue. However, when the issue was about to be clinched and the state was asked to respond to a letter written in this regard, political developments took place fast leading to the resignation of Manpreet Singh on this issue. Because of the debt burden, Punjab was facing a serious fiscal crisis. Its development process had been derailed. It was the slowest developing state in the country, said Jagmeet Singh. “I told the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi that Punjab needs the help of the Centre. The issue of debt should be reopened.The Congress should take the initiative in this regard”, said Jagmeet Singh.