Sukhbir slams Rahul on "poverty" comment

Badal accused the UPA government of deliberately creating a mining product crisis to defame the state government with an eye on polls.

Fatehgarh Sahib: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday slammed the recent statement of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on poverty where he termed it as "nothing but a state of mind," and said Rahul was oblivious about the ground situation in villages.

It was surprising that leaders, who have not fought even Panchayat elections during their life time were ruling the country and without any knowledge of ground situation they are framing policies sitting in air-conditioned rooms in Delhi, he told reporters here.

Indira Gandhi had given the slogan of `Gareebi Hatao` and now her grandson Rahul is tyring to remove the poor from the country`s map, he said, adding that closing one`s eyes to a problem does not solve it, but lingers its solution.

Badal accused the UPA government of deliberately creating a mining product crisis to defame the state government with an eye on polls.

The Union Environment Ministry at the instance of Punjab Congress was delaying environmental clearance of different mines to create an artificial scarcity of sand and gravel, he alleged.

PTI

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