Chandigarh-Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab President Kewal Singh Dhillon today said that the NITI Aayog's Investment Friendliness Index 2026 has completely exposed the hollow claims of the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann regarding investment and industrial development in Punjab.
Dhillon said that for the past several years, the AAP government has been claiming that Punjab has witnessed unprecedented industrial growth through investment summits, lakhs of crores worth of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and massive publicity campaigns. "However, the truth has now been placed before the entire country. According to the NITI Aayog's Investment Friendliness Index 2026, Punjab has been ranked 22nd among 28 States and 8 Union Territories, clearly exposing the government's failure to create an investor-friendly environment, " he said.
The BJP State President said that Arvind Kejriwal has turned Punjab into a model of publicity rather than development. "The AAP government has spent crores of rupees on advertisements, photo opportunities and self-promotion, but industries have not come to Punjab, employment opportunities have not increased and investors have steadily lost confidence in the state, " Dhillon said.
He further stated that Punjab, once considered one of India's leading industrial and entrepreneurial states, has been pushed backwards due to the AAP government's policy paralysis, deteriorating law and order situation, and failure to inspire confidence among investors. Instead of strengthening governance and industrial infrastructure, the government has focused solely on political marketing.
Dhillon said that Punjab does not need photo shoots, hoardings and misleading propaganda. "The state needs a secure law and order environment, transparent and industry-friendly policies, reliable infrastructure, ease of doing business and sustained efforts to attract fresh investments that can generate employment for the youth, " he added.
The BJP leader said that the people of Punjab are no longer influenced by publicity campaigns. "They are demanding results, economic growth, employment opportunities and genuine development. The NITI Aayog report is a clear reminder that slogans and advertisements cannot replace performance, " Dhillon said.
He urged the Bhagwant Mann government to stop indulging in self-promotion and instead focus on restoring Punjab's credibility as an investment destination by ensuring policy stability, industrial growth and employment generation for the state's youth.