States » NorthPosted at: Oct 5 2026 5:32PM


Extortion racket fuelling industrial exodus, alleges former CM Jai Ram Thakur

Arvind Kashyap
Solan, Oct 5 (UNI) Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Monday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress government, alleging that an “institutionalised extortion racket” is driving industries out of the state’s premier Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt.
Addressing media persons at Baddi after a felicitation ceremony for newly elected grassroots representatives, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader warned that alleged bureaucratic harassment, regulatory pressure and political interference had pushed the state’s pharmaceutical hub towards an “existential crisis”.
Thakur alleged that the Congress government’s much-publicised promise of “Vyavastha Parivartan” (systemic change) had instead resulted in what he described as a system of “predatory rent-seeking”, threatening Himachal’s industrial base.
“The present administration is allegedly running an orchestrated extortion network across the state’s industrial heartland. Under political patronage, kickbacks running into crores of rupees are allegedly being demanded for land and plot allocations. Compliant bureaucrats have been handpicked and strategically posted to harass, arm-twist and fleece industrialists,” Thakur alleged.
The Leader of Opposition said rising taxes, regulatory pressures and what he termed an “unfriendly” bureaucracy had severely dented investor confidence, forcing established manufacturing units to explore relocation to neighbouring states offering more favourable business conditions.
“Arbitrary tax increases, administrative extortion and policy paralysis have pushed established manufacturers to the brink. If industries continue to leave the state, it will cause a serious loss to the exchequer and severely affect employment opportunities for local youth,” he claimed.
Thakur also raised concerns over the deteriorating environmental conditions in the BBN industrial belt, alleging that untreated industrial effluents and rising pollution levels had become a growing public concern.
He alleged that regulatory authorities had failed to take effective action despite mounting complaints, and demanded immediate corrective measures to address pollution and restore confidence among industrial stakeholders.
Calling for an end to what he described as “reckless political posturing”, Thakur urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to initiate urgent administrative reforms and restore investor confidence, warning that continued industrial flight could cause long-term damage to Himachal Pradesh’s economy.
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Tags: #Extortion racket fuelling industrial exodus# alleges former CM Jai Ram Thakur
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