Chandigarh, June 22
The acrimonious atmosphere prevailing in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha ever since the start of budget session paved the way for cordiality and unanimity today as the house complimented Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the union cabinet on allowing steel baron Lakshmi Mittal 49 per cent stake in the Bathinda refinery.
“This is an occasion of profound significance and joy for all of us. With this decision, the decks have been cleared for the setting up of the biggest development project in the history of the state. This will transform the economic landscape of the state,” announced Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the end of question hour amidst the thumping of desks by the treasury benches.
“For me personally and for all Punjabis in general, the clearance of this refinery is like a dream come true. During my previous tenure as Chief Minister, we had made tireless efforts to get this project for the state. We repeatedly took this case to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who came over to lay its foundation stone,” he said.
His subsequent comment on the previous Congress government creating obstacles in the implementation of this project from the very start was met with protest from the opposition benches. Wiser counsel prevailed and leaders of the Congress wanted that this happy occasion should not be lost in the blame game and the efforts of the Prime Minister and the Congress-led UPA government be appreciated.
Badal held that it was not clear whom his predecessor, Amarinder Singh, was trying to benefit by delaying this project and almost allowing it to slip out of Punjab's hands. The five-year delay in the execution of the project had caused immense economic loss to the state.
“The decision of the Mittal group to invest in this project is indicative of a development that the world's biggest investors are vying with one another to buy
buy stakes in Punjab after the formation of the SAD-BJP government. This has finally exposed the hollowness of the propaganda about investors losing confidence about putting their money in Punjab after the formation of the new government. I am proud to announce that the investment made by Mittal in this refinery is the largest-ever foreign direct investment in the history of the country.
“We started the Ranjit Sagar Dam and we completed it. Similarly, we started the refinery project and we have brought this project on the verge of completion,” declared Badal before local bodies and industries minister Manoranjan Kalia, Avtar Singh Brar and Sukhpal Singh Khaira of the Congress also complimented the Prime Minister and the UPA government on giving the clearance.
The issue came up for animated discussion later in the day during the debate on the budgetary proposals when the name of former finance minister Surinder Singla cropped up.
