Cong scrapped industrial package: Dhumal

Our Correspondent

UNA, NOVEMBER 4

Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal said yesterday that the Congress was responsible for scrapping the special industrial package given to Himachal by the Vajpayee-led NDA government and party leaders should apologise for the anti-people decision which stalled the further investment in the state.

Talking to mediapersons here, the former CM said on December 1, 2002, then Vajpayee announced an industrial package when he was in Solan. The 10-year package, he said, began in March 2003, but in 2004, the newly formed UPA government scrapped the package.

Dhumal said P Chidambaram was then the Finance Minister, who had announced to abolish the package. He said the BJP, which was in the opposition, strongly objected to the move, but Congress leaders, even from Himachal, did not support the cause.

Reacting to statements by Congress leaders opposing the investors meet, Dhumal said Congress leaders believed that they had to oppose every decision of the BJP government, even if it was right. The meet would bring in investment, besides providing jobs to the locals.

Dhumal said opposition leaders should talk on facts and not just issue baseless statements. Reacting to Congress allegations that the BJP government was taking more loans to keep the government functional, he said events like investors’ meet were being organised to boost the state’s financial resources.

BJP state president Satpal Singh Satti, Rural Development Minister Virender Kanwar and HIMUDA Vice-Chairman Parveen Sharma were present.