Tewari reminds Sukhbir of being minister when concession were given to hill states by NDA in 1998

Ludhiana, October 15, 2013: Asking the Akali-BJP government in the state to better introspect than blame the centre for all the ills, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today reminded the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal that he was the Union Industries Minister when special concessions were accorded by then NDA government to the hill states like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir
and Uttrakhand in 1998.
He pointed out, the Shiromani Akali Dal was part and parcel of the NDA government which gave special concessions to the hill states and it never objected to these concessions which have adversely affected the industry in Punjab.
Talking to reporters alongwith the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises KH Muniyappa here today, Tewari said, the state government instead of blaming the central government should come out what was its own policy towards industry and what it had actually done.
“They preach one thing and practise quite a different thing”, he remarked, while pointing out not a single penny had been invested in the state during the last six years.
The Union Minister, who represents Ludhiana in the parliament, stated that the UPA government led by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was very much concerned about the plight of the industry in Punjab.
He said, it was at his instance that Muniyappa had decided to visit Ludhiana and personally meet the small and medium entrepreneurs and assured that solutions to various problems will be found within a fixed time frame.
On the occasion, former minister Malkiat Singh Dakha, Malkit Singh Birmi, DCC President Pawan Dewan and Gurmail Pehlwan were also present. www.cityairnews.com