LoP slams eleventh-hour Punjab industrial policy

Chandigarh: Punjab's leader of the opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, has launched a blistering attack on the state's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt, labelling its four-year delay in implementing a comprehensive industrial policy as "inexcusable" and "deeply damaging" to the state's economic future.He questioned the timing of the govt's sudden policy unveiling as it enters the final phase of its tenure. He claims that the "policy vacuum" has forced local entrepreneurs to flee to rival states like Uttar Pradesh in search of stability. The critique comes just days before the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit 2026, scheduled for March 13-15.Bajwa dismissed the govt's recent flurry of activity as a last-minute attempt to salvage political credibility rather than a genuine effort to boost growth. "This is too little, too late," the senior Congress member remarked. "After four years of administrative drift, the AAP govt is trying to mask its failures with glossy announcements and grand summits."‘Security Concerns Stifle Investment'Beyond policy delays, Bajwa highlighted a deteriorating law and order situation in the sensitive border state as a primary deterrent for investors. He alleged that the business community was operating under a cloud of fear amid multiple reports of how businessmen face intimidation from extortionist criminal elements. Bajwa said economic growth could not flourish if investors feared for their personal safety and assets.The LoP said a lack of incentives and security had led to a steady weakening of Punjab's industrial backbone. "The people of Punjab, the business community especially, will not be swayed by tokenism," Bajwa said, adding that the state deserved a visionary strategy from "day one," not a hurried rollout designed for public relations.MSID:: 128751790 413 |