Sangrur/Barnala, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday assured traders and industrialists that the next SAD government would create an environment conducive to investment, business growth and industrial development. He announced that the party would end Inspector Raj, introduce lump-sum taxation and self-declarations, and allow businesses to operate without fear of state agencies.
Addressing interactions with traders and industrialists in Barnala and Sangrur, Badal said the prevailing atmosphere of fear in Punjab had caused significant losses to the business community, driven capital out of the state and discouraged fresh investment.
Alleging that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was virtually collecting ransoms from traders and industrialists through GST raids and by pressuring them to make donations to the party, Badal said, “This, along with extortion calls from gangsters, has stifled industrial growth in Punjab.”
He assured the gatherings that the next SAD government would free Punjab from the menace of gangsters and introduce transparent policies based on mutual trust and respect between the government and the business community.
Badal announced that the Rahat scheme, formulated by the previous SAD government, would be reintroduced if the party returned to power. Under the scheme, traders would be required to pay lump-sum tax based on self-attestation.
He also promised to reduce and make Change of Land Use (CLU) charges completely transparent. People investing in developed colonies, he said, would no longer need to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to register their properties and could complete the process through self-declaration.
During the interactions, traders and industrialists highlighted a range of grievances and sought relief from what they described as excessive taxation, bureaucratic hurdles and corruption.
Ajaib Barnala, president of the Barnala Rice Millers Association, said millers were suffering heavy losses following the complete withdrawal of the two per cent weight-loss concession for stored rice. He added that the 2.5 per cent commission paid to arhtiyas for procuring foodgrains had also been drastically reduced. The shortage of storage capacity for foodgrains was another major concern, he said.
Prince, a cloth merchant from Sangrur, alleged that a GST mafia was operating in the state, claiming that officials had been assigned tax collection targets and were imposing penalties on traders to extract money.
Surinder Duggal and Ravi Bansal of the Barnala Chemists Association said medical store owners were being treated like criminals. They alleged that while the government was complicit in the sale of ‘chitta’, chemists were being made scapegoats.
Traders also complained that CLU charges had become exorbitant and that they were allegedly required to pay bribes in addition to official charges to secure permissions. Pesticide sellers said cases were being registered against them whenever quality issues arose with pesticides or seeds, even when they were selling branded products.
In Sangrur, traders raised concerns over the collection of cow cess, alleging that the funds were not being used to address the problem of stray cattle or for the development purposes for which the levy was intended.
Chartered accountant Mohit Kumar said professionals should not be made parties to cases involving their clients. Narata Ram, president of the Bhawanigarh Arhtiya Association, highlighted how former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had safeguarded the rights of arhtiyas.
Kamal Anand and Hitesh Kumar of the Hotel Association called for self-attestation to eliminate red tape and corruption in obtaining government clearances. Ghanshyam Aggarwal of the Industry Association complained that industrialists had been waiting for prolonged periods to receive GST refunds.
Naratta Ram of the Spare Parts Association said the trade and industry wanted to see Sukhbir Singh Badal become Punjab’s next chief minister.
Responding to the concerns, Badal assured traders and industrialists that their demands would be incorporated into the SAD’s upcoming election manifesto.
“We are committed to removing all your grievances as we give topmost priority to Punjabis, unlike the Congress and AAP, who have no interest in your issues and only want to secure your votes to loot the State,” he said.
Badal also promised that cow pounds would be established under an SAD government. He said he would showcase a profitable gaushala pilot project on his farm, which could subsequently be replicated across Punjab.
The SAD president received demand and suggestion letters from various trade and industry associations and assured their representatives that their proposals would be considered for inclusion in the party’s election manifesto.
SAD constituency in-charges for Barnala and Sangrur, Kulwant Singh Kanta and Arvind Khanna, respectively, were also present during the interactions.
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