Another day, another Lie – AAP red-faced as BMW says no plans for plant in Punjab

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, heading the six-months-old Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is left embarrassed after a media statement issued by BMW belied his Tuesday’s claims that the German auto giant agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in Punjab.

Mann, who is currently in Germany, issued the statement after he met officials of BMW at the company headquarters in Munich.

Soon after BMW India's latest statement Wednesday that it has no such plan to set up the plant in Punjab, Mann came under fierce attack from opposition parties in the state.

“Another day, another lie,” commented former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress in its latest statement adding, “CM saab stop making a fool of yourself and Punjab at the international level.”

Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira asked Mann to clarify who is correct as he had claimed investments by BMW only yesterday.

His party colleague and leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa too asked, “Can CM clarify his position on this or was he lying to the whole state?”

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa called the whole episode a national shame.

In his tweet, he said, “How much more lies would the Kejriwal-Mann duo churn to get cheap publicity? This is embarrassing for every Indian.”

What were CM and BMW’s exact statements?

Mann’s statement, released on Tuesday by the Punjab government, read that his efforts to “rope in major investments” from Germany bore fruit after leading auto giant BMW agreed to set up its plant in Punjab.

It further stated that during the visit to the company's headquarters in Munich, the Chief Minister showcased the Punjab government’s exemplary work to promote the industry in the state after which BMW agreed to set up its auto component unit in the state.

Buoyed over it, Bhagwant Mann is also quoted saying that this will be the second unit of the company in India as already one such unit was operational in Chennai. He said that this would give a major boost to the industrial growth of the state and open new vistas of employment for youth.

The Chief Minister also invited BMW to collaborate with the state in the E-Mobility sector. He was apprised that E-Mobility is a major sector of focus for the auto giant, which targets 50% of its global sales to consist of fully electric vehicles by 2030.

The Chief Minister also stated that his government had worked hard at recently approving Punjab’s Electric Vehicle Policy. Punjab’s EV Policy is expected to usher in a new era for the E-Mobility sector in Punjab.

He also informed the BMW team how the state has succeeded in creating a pro-industry ecosystem and has emerged as the preferred investment destination in India for global brands and organizations.

The Chief Minister also invited the BMW delegation to attend the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit scheduled for February 23-24, 2023 to further this relationship and explore opportunities for collaboration.

A day later, Abhay Dhange, director, Press and Corporate Affairs at BMW India, released a statement, saying that BMW has its sights set firmly on the premium sector of the Indian automobile market.

Along with cars and motorcycles, BMW Group’s activities in India comprise financial service for its premium clientele, it added.

It further said, “BMW is firmly committed to its Indian operation with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon and a well-developed dealers network across major metropolitans of the country.

“BMW Group India has no plans for setting up an additional manufacturing operation in Punjab,” the statement concluded.

The Punjab government or CM is yet to react to the latest development.