Global ambitions mean little if Punjab remains commercially restricted: Bajwa | Chandigarh News
Chandigarh: Punjab leader of opposition and Congress functionary Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday expressed concern over the Union govt’s claims of export-led growth for Punjab following the India–European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), stating that rhetoric without infrastructure and policy support would leave Punjab excluded from its benefits.Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to Punjabis in Jalandhar on Sunday, Bajwa said that while the Prime Minister spoke of sending goods to Europe under the India–EU FTA, the ground reality in Punjab made such assurances deeply questionable.“The Prime Minister spoke about new export opportunities to Europe. The question Punjab asks is simple: how can our goods be sent competitively when the state itself is commercially chained?” Bajwa said.He pointed out that Punjab’s natural advantage as a land-linked border state was rendered meaningless. “The land border remains closed. Overland trade routes to Eurasia and onward to Europe, which are the most cost-effective and efficient for Punjab, are unavailable. Exporters are forced onto long and expensive sea routes, eroding competitiveness even before products reach European markets,” he said.
