The promise of the Minister of Social Rights Carles Campuzano, to build a residence for the elderly in Santa Coloma de Gramenet -governed by the socialist Núria Parlón- if the ERC candidate, Gabriel Rufián, wins the next elections has generated a controversy that can give some displeasure to the minister and, therefore, to the ERC Government. There are several parliamentary groups that have raised a cry to the sky denouncing the attitude of the Republicans, demanding explanations from the minister in parliamentary headquarters. Among them the PSC-Units, where they see “sectarianism” in ERC and do not rule out asking for the resignation of the leader, although they want to hear him beforehand in parliament.
At a press conference from the Catalan Chamber, the socialist spokesperson, Alícia Romero, expressed her party’s “outrage” at Campuzano’s actions, for promising something together with the ERC candidate that the socialists have demanded via budget negotiation and the Government refused to concede. “It is not acceptable that Campuzano uses the ministry for party events when in the budget negotiations with the Government we have put this residence on the table and the Government said it would not build it,” Romero lamented.
The Socialists are very “upset” with the fact that precisely this residence, demanded by the Parlón city council since 2012, as they indicate, has been denied and now the minister is taking advantage of a campaign event with Rufián to promise its construction. According to Romero, the land for the construction of said residence was ceded by the Consistory 10 years ago, but the Government refuses to build it, in fact “not a single residence has been built in 10 years in Catalonia”, he has denounced.
The Republican candidate has tried to reduce the controversy this Tuesday, denying that the announcement together with the minister is “blackmail”, insisting that the PSC has been promising residence “for 32 years”. “As the PSOE does not do it, if we govern , we will do it. If the PSOE wants to do it now, suddenly, welcome. If they vote for us, that residence will exist and if they vote for the PSOE, perhaps not ”, he has remarked from the Congress of Deputies.
PSC and Junts have announced that they will request Campuzano’s appearance in Parliament to explain this “so serious mistake” inappropriate for someone “who has been in politics for so long.” The Socialists consider that this “use of the institutions is not what the citizens ask of us” and they do not rule out “anything”, in reference to a possible disapproval or a request for resignation.
“We are not ruling anything out, not even asking for his resignation, but for now we want to listen to him. When we have listened to him, if necessary, we will make the appropriate decisions.”
In Salvador Illa’s party they are concerned about the signs of “sectarianism” that in their opinion the ERC Government has been showing in some of its decisions and actions. To the episode of Campuzano and Rufián they add the decision to renew the direction of Fira 2000. The Generalitat asserted its majority in the entity to impose -against institutions such as the Barcelona and L’Hospitalet city councils, and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce- the replacement of Joaquim Ferrer by David Poudevida, “when it had always been done by consensus”, Romero pointed out.
“We are concerned about the sectarianism of the ERC Government in many decisions and we will be attentive” to this type of “unfortunate actions”, as well as in the execution of the recently approved budgets, and “we ask for a clean campaign for the municipal ones”, has claimed the PSC spokesperson.
