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Panipat (Haryana): In a remark that surprised all, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused on Sunday that the Opposition Congress and the ruling BJP colluded in election-bound Haryana, causing the public to suffer.
“A new story needs to be written in Haryana, like Delhi and Punjab,” Mann said while addressing traders here.
State Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Vice-President Anurag Dhanda said the interaction aimed to demonstrate the party’s approach to creating a favourable environment for traders and its plans for Haryana.
“Two-and-a-half years ago, industries were leaving Punjab due to inadequate conditions. However, the environment has improved significantly in just two-and-a-half years, attracting new industries and traders eager to invest in Punjab.”
He stressed that the key question is whether the government genuinely wants traders to operate freely.
“When the AAP came to power in Delhi, traders faced numerous obstacles. The party’s promise to eliminate Inspector Raj significantly increased revenue by Rs 2,000 crore after removing trade inspections.
Dhanda criticised the present government in Haryana for imposing heavy toll taxes on traders, who face increased costs and inadequate facilities.
During the event, traders asked Mann questions, shared their problems, and gave suggestions.
Traders inquired about simplifying Punjab’s non-objection certificate (NOC) process, addressing the industry’s impact from high electricity rates and frequent power cuts in Haryana, standardising GST tax slabs for textiles, and simplifying the GST portal.
They also asked what measures are being taken in Punjab to support small and medium enterprises. They raised concerns about high-level corruption in Haryana affecting single-window systems and various business services.
Chief Minister Mann said this was not a political rally.
“The issues faced by traders are not unique to Haryana; similar problems were previously seen in Punjab and Delhi and are now present in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as well. The industry is considered the government’s biggest revenue source but is often criticised and labelled unfairly. Despite employing many, the industry is rarely given proper attention.”
He mentioned that he wondered why traders bring red bags with money to political parties during elections.
“The money symbolises prosperity, but traders don’t like the parties’ agendas. They bring the money merely to avoid harassment if the party wins. Governments should not harass but should facilitate. When he invited Punjab’s traders, they revealed so many problems that despite a single-window system, there are multiple windows within it,” Mann added.
Consequently, Punjab implemented a single-window, single-pen system, aiming for work to start and end with the same pen number. He said policies were formulated based on traders’ suggestions.
He noted that the AAP provides free electricity in Delhi and Punjab, a policy aimed at reducing businesses’ operational costs. Importantly, this policy does not distinguish between different types of cards, ensuring that all companies, regardless of size, can benefit from this initiative.
Haryana will go to the polls for a 90-member Assembly on October 5.
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–IANS
