Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa today flayed the SAD-BJP government for "wasting public funds on futile exercises like Investors Summit".
"The SAD-BJP government has hired American firm APCO for branding purpose. The firm had earlier promoted the biennial Vibrant Gujarat Summit... The SAD-BJP government is thus wasting a huge sum of money collected by imposing heavy taxes on the people of the state," the Congress MP from Gurdaspur said addressing a party rally in Nihal Singh Wala in Moga.
Bajwa said the money could have been spend on improving health and education sectors.
The two-day Progressive Punjab Investors Summit will kick off in Mohali tomorrow to project the state as a key business destination. Bajwa said "these are merely cosmetic steps to cover up the failures of SAD-BJP government."
He blamed Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for creating "an euphoria of development against the stark ground reality of total collapse of governance." Bajwa said that Sukhbir Badal had earlier organised two NRI Sammelans on the pretext of brining huge investment in Punjab. "Not even a single penny was invested by any NRI," he claimed.
He asked Sukhbir to explain to the people of the state how much investment he had brought from big industrial houses after he made presentation to them in Bangalore, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Delhi recently.
"The SAD-BJP government cannot mislead major companies by showcasing development in Mohali whereas in the rest of the state the people are crying for basic civic amenities," he said, adding that Punjab is the worst role model of governance where no efforts are being made to develop human resources.
"Punjab is plagued with drug menace, unemployment, illiteracy, corruption and crime," he said and asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to set his house in order before inviting investment to the state.
He also ridiculed the Chief Minister for "inaugurating an incomplete thermal plant at Rajpura today just to celebrate his (CM's) birthday." He said that it would take more than six months to lay the railway track to carry coal for thermal plant. Bajwa also alleged that the government was promoting private sector thermal plants at the cost of public sector thermal projects.
