Former CM blames Congress govt for exodus of industry from BBN belt

Tribune News Service

Solan, June 29

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today blamed the Congress government for the exodus of industry from the Baddi-Barotiwala Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt. He accused the government of patronising extortion and discouraging investors in the area.

Thakur, who is camping in Nalagarh to oversee the byelection, said, “The government is indulging in extortion and loot, leading to the exodus of the industry.” He alleged, “Corruption has exceeded all limits and there is a complete breakdown of the law and order machinery during the 16-month tenure of the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government.”

Thakur, while addressing mediapersons at Nalagarh, said, “While former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had granted an industrial package for the development of industry in the state, the Congress was discouraging investors.” He recounted the development initiatives of the previous BJP government and said, “Our party government had approved a medical devices park and a bulk drug park for the state while the Congress halted all development activities after assuming power.”

The former Chief Minister accused the Congress government of burdening the state exchequer with three byelections. He said that the Assembly Speaker was pressured to delay the acceptance of the resignations of three Independent MLAs. “The gap between two sets of elections in the state is historical as three byelections are taking place over a month after the Lok Sabha elections and the six Assembly byelections,” he added.

“The Chief Minister did so for his political convenience so that he could use coercive tactics to garner votes in the byelections,” he alleged.

Thakur said that the Congress government had lost majority in the Vidhan Sabha as well as people’s mandate, as it had trailed in 61 of the 68 Assembly seats in the Lok Sabha elections recently. Even the Chief Minister could not get a lead for the Congress in his own home constituency of Nadaun, he added.

He said, “We wrested two of the six Assembly seats from the Congress in the byelections and will win all three byelections now, as the Congress government has lost the people’s mandate in its 18-month tenure.”

Thakur alleged that the Congress candidate for the Nalagarh byelection had around 132 cases registered against him. The Congress was partronising criminals and lawlessness in the state was at its peak. The recent firing incident outside Bilaspur courts in which the son of a former Congress MLA was alleged involved testifies the worrisome situation.

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