Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre of suffering from anti-Punjab mindset, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said the state is meted out with a stepmotherly treatment.

Taking part in a debate on the floor of Punjab Assembly, the chief minister said Punjab leads the country in contribution to the food pool besides giving maximum representation in the Indian Army yet it is sad to note that the Centre has always ignored it.

He lamented that Punjab was not getting its legitimate share of the RDF (Rural Development Fund) despite meeting all the conditions. After collecting and transferring revenue from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the Centre, it has to beg for its due share.

The CM said the Narendra Modi Government was suffering from anti-Punjab syndrome and hence hell-bent on ruining the state. Had it been for the BJP-led NDA Government, they would have dropped the name of Punjab from the national anthem.

Mann wondered how Punjab’s BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, along with the former CM of state Captain Amarinder Singh are mum on the entire issue despite the step-motherly treatment meted out to the state.

The CM said the Union government was not only adopting a hostile attitude towards the state but also towards its farmers. Due to the apathy of the Union government agriculture is no longer profitable. What’s more, the Centre is now trying to abolish the minimum support price (MSP) on food grains.

Mann said the Union government was putting the onus of environmental pollution in the national capital on the farmers of the state by claiming that they are burning the paddy straw.

The CM said the BJP is treating Punjab as if it was not a part of the country ignoring the immense contribution of Punjabis to nation building. The rights of the state are being blatantly ignored with the Central agencies being misused to arm-twist the Opposition-ruled states, especially Punjab.

He urged the Punjabis to stop looking to the Centre and come forward to save the state’s rich Legacy, finances, tradition and house adding that it will go a long way in carving out a Rangla Punjab.

The CM said the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the Assembly Sessions in the state has set a new benchmark in the polity of the country. The decision has set an example for the entire country in dealing with such matters.

He said it was not a matter of victory or defeat but the Punjab government had fought the battle in the interests of the people and the democracy at large.

The chief minister thanked the governor for sanctioning the session and replying to the letters immediately. He hoped that the governor would clear the pending Bills soon besides giving approval to the new Bills.

He said there was no rift between the state government and the governor on any issue.