Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi's arch-rival Gordhan Zadafia on Wednesday contested the State Government's
'growth story' claiming actual investment in the State was less than
five per cent of the target fixed at Vibrant Gujarat Summits.
The former BJP leader who floated
his own outfit in 2008 claimed as against proposed investment of over
Rs 39.60 lakh crore through 17701 MOUs during the summits between 2003
and 2001, a meager Rs 1.85 lakh crore was actually invested till November
last year.
Quoting information retrieved
through RTI and other Government documents, Zadafia claimed only 2.98
lakh people could get jobs through these investments against proposed
employment of over 1.01 crore. He claimed Gujarat's debt has increased
by Rs 1 lakh crore under Modi's regime and the number of primary school
students has even declined by over one lakh during the same period.
“Modi has created a myth of
development, while the fact is that Gujarat has gone down to fifth position
in terms of Gross Domestic State Product figures. The state has lagged
behind in Human Development Index to the 10th position, and stands at
sixth position in per capita income,” Zadafia said.
Zadafia was MoS for Home in
the Modi government during Gujarat riots but declined to join his cabinet
after the BJP returned to power in 2002. He walked out of the BJP to
float his own Mahagujarat Janata Party in 2008 and is now attempting
to form a “Third Front” comprising dissident BJP leaders.
The MJP chief alleged Gujarat
Government dolled out undue sops to industrialists at the cost of burden
on the state's exchequer. He contested Modi's claim about round the
clock electricity supply.
“Gujarat is purchasing power
at Rs 14 per unit and selling it to other states at Rs 3.50,” he claimed,
adding that there were more than 4.55 lakh pending applications for
agricultural power.
The MJP chief said he will field
candidates against BJP in all the 182 constituencies of Gujarat in the
forthcoming state polls. He also announced a statewide protest from
June 26 to mount pressure on Modi government to withdraw its petition
from the Supreme Court in the connection with appointment of Lokayukta
in Gujarat.
