Haryana minister ridicules UP,Gujarat while seeking investment

NEW DELHI: Inviting investments into his state, a senior Haryana minister today ridiculed some other states, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, suggesting governments there allowed bootlegging and other mafia to thrive freely.

"Neither do we have the communal tensions or bootlegger mafia as in Gujarat nor do we permit organised mafia as in UP," Haryana Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a seminar -- 'Advantage Haryana - Land of Opportunities' here.

The minister said business in Haryana is a result of its peaceful law and order situation.

"Look inside your heart and tell me. Can the biggest business centres of India from Bombay, or shall I say Mumbai, to Ahmedabad, Calcutta to Madras or shall I say Kolkata to Chennai, say the same thing?

"Is it not true that you will be judged differently if you belong to a minority community in Gujarat? Is it also not true that certain forces will identify you as not a 'true Marathi manush' in Mumbai?," Surjewala asked.

Identity based on language and colour of skin was well known in some states, he claimed.

"In Haryana, we will not judge you by your sub- nationalities, nationalities, language, religion, gender or colour or your skin. We will judge only by your talent, your intellectual capital, your capacity to invest and grow and to be part of Haryana's and India's growth story," he said.