According to Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the Invest Punjab Summit on February 23 and 24 would be a waste of public money, since no new businessman would invest.
In Jalandhar, Warring met with Doaba-based party leaders to discuss the new campaign “Hath se hath jodo”.
Punjab is not a good place for investors, he said. There is already a feeling of insecurity among businessmen and traders in the state. Sleeping peacefully is impossible for them. Due to the fear that unknown callers might be extortionists, they have stopped picking up the phone from unknown numbers. Despite providing security, a cloth merchant from Nakodar lost his life.”
After the summit, Bhagwant Mann should bring in even one rupee’s worth of investment to Punjab, he said. Businessmen from Punjab have been meeting the UP Chief Minister to discuss investing there. Why are these businessmen mulling moving out of Punjab? Has the state government asked them? “, he inquired.
In a statement, Warring attacked the state government for appointing “non-Punjabi” Dr Satbir Bedi as the Board’s Chairperson. “The AAP government promised Punjabis jobs when it came to power. Now, it appears that AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is using Punjab as a platform to settle his favourites in top positions in the state,” he said.
In response to a question regarding whether the party would field a candidate from outside for the Jalandhar byelection, he said, “I do not think so”. According to him, he could only recommend names for the ticket to a member of deceased MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary’s family. AICC’s chief will make the final decision.”
