He added, “No decision has been taken till date on continuing free power to the rural sector. Moreover, this decision cannot be taken by me, but by our party. It will be jointly reviewed by both the SAD and the BJP and then a final call will be taken, as we fought elections on this issue.”

The SAD chief did not miss an opportunity to flay the previous regime for the power shortage in the state. “This (shortage) has been created by the Congress, as they just bought power from outside and did not bother to increase the capacity. Not a single mega watt was added during their tenure.”

When asked about erratic power supply in the rural areas, he said, “We are now going in for a permanent solution with an addition of 10,000 mega watts of more power generation. In the next three years, four thermal plants will be set up in the state.”

On a series of postponements of the unbundling of PSEB, which is also overstaffed, he said, “We have to reach a consensus before taking a final decision.”

When his attention was brought to the dipping groundwater levels, he said, “We are seeking a Rs 5,000-crore package for irrigation from the Central government, as Punjab produces 65 per cent of wheat and paddy for the country. Once we get the money and our irrigation system is refurbished, this problem will be solved.”

Blaming the Central government for the crumbling diversification scheme, he said, “First the Union government wanted the state to get out of the paddy-wheat circle, and now due to the worldwide food shortage, it wants us to continue with it.”

Evading the SYL issue, he said, “The matter is sub-judice.”

Coming down heavily upon the bureaucracy, he said, “They are not answerable to the public, but we are, and that is why we had to issue circulars to them to respect the elected representatives. We will make the officers answerable.”

Coming on the economy of the state, he said, “The VAT collections were up by 20 per cent this year and will hopefully touch the Rs 6,000-crore mark. Our target for the next year is Rs 7,500 crore. The excise collections are also up. Besides, mega projects are coming up. See the auctions yourself and the money generated: Rs 1 lakh per square feet of commercial space! This money will be spent on development.”

Why go in for Adarsh schools and not upgrade the existing ones, he said, “We are upgrading other schools as well. Science stream will be added and Rs 50 lakh were being given for setting up of labs.”