Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was at the Chandigarh office of The Indian Express for an Idea Exchange. In this session moderated by Resident Editor (Chandigarh) Vipin Pubby, 82-year-old Badal speaks of dynastic politics, Centre-state ties and radical outfits in the state

DINKER VASHISHT: How do you justify your recent demand for states to receive a greater share of Central taxes?

The Constitution gave us a federal system. The powers were divided between the Centre and the states. But over the years, the same party ruled at the Centre and in the states. It tried to centralise power and gradually, the powers of the states was reduced. Now we have to go like beggars to the Centre for everything—whether it is for building roads or for getting estimates approved. We are reduced to glorified municipalities. While there is talk of decentralising power, the actions of the Centre do not match this. For instance, in the case of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Central government says a specific amount should be given as wages. While the residents of Bihar may be willing to work for Rs 50, this is not the case with Punjab. The states should be taken into confidence before launching programmes or else, these will never be successful. Even the criteria for defining Below Poverty Line (BPL) families are not practical. They state that those who have a cycle, a fan, a radio are not considered BPL. These criteria are not justified for our state.

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