Chandigarh: Highlighting a list of everyday Chinese imports, ranging from plastic buckets to the very idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha worshipped on Diwali, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday told the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit 2026 that “Punjab’s entrepreneurship spirit” should be used to counter China’s presence in the local market.Giving a “Kejriwal ki guarantee” to the industry, he said the state would provide every facility needed to compete with China and revealed that a business-friendly environment had already helped attract Rs 1.50 lakh crore in actual investments over the last four years.“Mera khoon khol uthta hai ki 75 saal azadi ke baad hum plastic ki balti nahi bana sakte,” said Kejriwal, in a sharp critique of India’s reliance on Chinese imports.Expressing a mix of national pride and frustration, Kejriwal pointed out that while world-renowned companies like Adobe, Microsoft, and IBM were led by people of Indian origin, the country still relied on Beijing for kitchen masala boxes and alarm clocks. “I am proud of my country’s talent,” he told the gathered industrialists, “and yet, I am deeply pained to hear that we import plastic toys from China.”Kejriwal said he reviewed a comprehensive list of Chinese products currently flooding Indian markets, ranging from stationery and LED bulbs to mobile phone chargers and even Ravan, Meghnath, and Kumbhkaran effigies.Questioning the necessity of these imports, he said, “Why can’t we produce these products? We obviously can. Someone said Chinese products are cheaper, but Punjabi entrepreneurs can also do it. Punjabis can use their jugad technology and send their products to China.”“We talk about becoming No. 1 in the country, but our target should actually be to defeat China, and we will provide you with whatever it takes to achieve that,” Kejriwal stated.He quoted from a song of the film Tezaab: “Isko haraya to kya kiya, usko haraya to kya kiya, Dara Singh ko harao to jane (What is the point in defeating these smaller players; you only prove your mettle if you defeat a champion like Dara Singh).”The AAP leader, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, blamed systemic failures and a long-standing lack of faith in the citizenry for India’s reliance on foreign goods. “I know a bit about engineering. Give us a chance, but the systems in our country are so faulty that they don’t allow anyone to take such initiatives. In the last 75 years, the govts did not believe in their people,” he alleged.Kejriwal urged the audience to view the competition with China with patriotic spirit rather than a mere profit-making venture.He offered a “Kejriwal guarantee” that the state would provide the necessary atmosphere for industries to start exporting these very goods back to China, including religious idols.Promising the full backing of the Bhagwant Mann govt, Kejriwal said, “Tell us what you need to outshine China and we will provide it to you. It’s not about making profit; we have to do it out of patriotism. Mera khoon khol uthta hai ki 75 saal azadi ke baad hum plastic ki balti nahi bana sakte.”Reflecting on Punjab’s economic history, Kejriwal noted that the state had fallen from its 1980s peak as the top per capita income earner to the 18th spot by the time the AAP took over in 2022. He described the atmosphere then as “gloomy”, with industry shifting to states like Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.He contrasted this with previous regimes, “If you wanted to set up an industry, you needed recommendations and bribes, and even after that the work did not happen. Now, that is no longer the case.”“We tried to analyse the success stories of countries like China, Germany, South Korea and Singapore. They listened to the expectations of their industry, and secondly, invested in their human capital,” Kejriwal said.He explained that after holding meetings with local leaders, the govt identified “govt’s interference” as a primary grievance. “In June 2025, we launched the ‘Fast Track’ portal to grant single-window approvals in 45 days. In the case of MSMEs, only self-certification is required.”He added, “I read Lee Kuan Yew’s book and was inspired by it, so we invested heavily in health and education in Punjab. Today, the Centre’s own study found Punjab ranked 1st in education.”He also highlighted healthcare reforms, including a new Rs 10 lakh health insurance scheme for poor farmers and labourers to prevent the debt cycles that lead to tragedy.Over Rs 10K cr investment commitment (BOX)Arvind Kejriwal claimed that on the very first day of the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit 2026, the state secured investments worth over Rs 10,000 crore. “Major industry leaders such as HMEL, Tata Steel, JSW, Trident Group, Hero Industries and several others announced plans to expand and set up their ventures in the state,” he said.Not a hollow ‘guarantee’: Kejriwal (BOX)Arvind Kejriwal said his ‘guarantee’ to industrialists that the AAP govt would provide them every possible support was not a ‘hollow promise’. He said, “We fulfilled all our pre-poll promise… you guide us and we will provide you with the right environment,” said the AAP supremo.‘AAP is a political startup’ (BOX)Arvind Kejriwal characterised the Aam Aadmi Party as a “political startup and a unicorn” that achieved the status of a national party in 10-12 years.MSID:: 129555335 413 |
