The first secretary of the PSC, Salvador Illa, replied this Sunday to the president of the ERC, Oriol Junqueras, who urged the Socialists to demonstrate their commitment to the "fight against repression": "I do not give lessons nor do I accept them."
This is how RAC1 responded to Junqueras, who said yesterday at a press conference: "There are many things that the Socialist Party should do in the area of the fight against repression, in defense of the exercise of full democracy, before we can consider that, indeed, it is committed in a correct, adequate and forceful way in the fight against repression".
Illa has been blunt: "The Socialist Party has always worked to defend the rule of law, it does not give lessons and does not receive them from anyone. We work to overcome resentment."
"I have a good relationship with everyone, but I don't give lessons or accept them", stressed Illa, who insisted on defending a "useful, constructive, respectful and credible policy".
Once again, he has extended his hand to the Government to sit down to negotiate and agree on the next budgets of the Generalitat, which will be able to have "3,098 million euros more in income".
Wasting this increase in income and settling for a budget extension, as Junqueras hinted yesterday that could happen if JxCat does not support the accounts, would be "irresponsible" in his opinion.
Illa has assured that she is not thinking of a motion of censure against the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, nor of calling for new elections after the departure of JxCat from the Government, but that "what is convenient for the country" is to approve budgets for 2023.
For this reason, he considers that a budget extension "would be a very irresponsible scenario" and it is "frankly difficult to believe" that Aragonès ignores the "offer" of the Socialists to negotiate the accounts.
Of course, he has warned that the PSC will not give "carte blanche" to any budget drawn up by the Government, without trying to do a "synthesis exercise", because that would not be "reasonable".
Illa has separated the PSC's predisposition to approve the Catalan accounts from the search for ERC support for the next General State Budgets.
For Illa, "these are different things", although in a "complex" moment like the current one "everywhere we must open up to talk" and all the parties should make a "State opposition".
