Punjab Congress today urged the Centre to re-consider its recent decision to extend industrial packages to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and instead demanded benefits for border districts of the state.
"We urge the Centre to re-consider its decision (to extend industrial packages to hill states," Punjab Congress Chief Partap Singh Bajwa said here.
He, however, sought industrial packages for the six border districts of Punjab.
"Six border districts - Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka must be given industrial packages," he said.
"Punjab is at the one extreme end of the country along the border...We cannot compete with other states.
"The Centre must take into consideration the perspective of national security and announce industrial packages for border disricts of Punjab," he said.
Bajwa said he would soon lead a delegation of Punjab Congress MPs and Ministers at the Centre to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Union Industry Minister seeking special industrial package for Punjab.
Bajwa criticised the SAD-BJP combine for staging a demonstration outside Punjab governor's residence here on January 24 on the issue of industrial packages to hill states.
He even held Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and SAD MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa responsible for the state not being part of industrial package.
Bajwa said the Centre had not given any new package to hilly states instead it was an extension of package given by NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when Sukhbir and Dhindsa were Union Minister.
"Both Sukhbir and Dhindsa were cabinet ministers in the Vajpayee government in 2003 when the tax holiday for hill states were announced by the then BJP led government.
"Sukhbir and Dhindsa did not give dissenting note in the cabinet when the decision was being taken to give industrial packages to the hill states in the Vajpayee government. By agreeing to the decision ... Both Sukhbir and Dhindsa became signatory to the death knell of Punjab industry," he said.
