Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday accused Shirom Akali Dal (SAD) of "indulging in petty politics" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reacting to the SAD's remark on Punjab government's CM COVID Relief Fund, Singh slammed the opposition party, saying, "Never in my political life have I seen such petty politics."
"It (COVID-19 pandemic) is a question of life and death, and the future of Punjab," the Chief Minister said.
In his weekly #AskCaptain live interaction on Facebook, the Chief Minister said that Rs 64 crores lying in the CM Relief Fund were meant for COVID-19 relief and will be spent on it.
Pointing out that the virus had still not peaked, the Chief Minister said his government had already spent over Rs 300 crore on COVID-care, treatment, and other related expenses, and expected to spend another Rs 200 crore.
The Rs 64 crores will be spent for COVID-19 care, he said.
Expressing concern over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases among frontline workers, the Chief Minister pointed out that around 250 police personnel in Punjab had been infected so far.
"Testing of the frontline workers was of paramount importance and the state government was focusing on that," he added.
According to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, there are 12,216 COVID-19 cases in the state.
( With inputs from ANI )