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OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF OPPOSITION

Press Note 17^th January, 2012

• Government treasury has saved Rs. 9,100 because of SC order in Essar case.
• Congress had exposed nexus between Gujarat government and Essar.
• Congress pressure forced Gujarat government to appeal against HC order in favour of Essar.
• Gujarat government concealed facts of incentive policy in the HC with a malafide intention.
• Essar succeeded in the HC because of connivance of Gujarat government.
• Rs 9,100 of treasury saved by vigilant and positive approach of Congress.

The Narendra Modi government in Gujarat has been shamelessly favouring industrialists and the supreme court has now ordered the Essar group to deposit a whopping amount of Rs. 9,100 crores which the Gujarat Govt. was in a mood to dole out to Essar as incentive.

The Modi govt. works in favour of five industrialists not the five crore people of Gujarat, leader of the opposition Shaktisinh Gohil has often stressed. Now that was not mere rhetoric has been proved in the Supreme Court.

Earlier Essar_Guj govt. nexus had succeeded in the Gujarat High Court but sustained efforts by shri Shaktisinh Gohil has ensured that the matter reached Supreme Court and the apex court has rightly observed that Essar was wrongly offered incentives and has now asked Essar to deposit Rs. 9,100 crore thereby benefiting gujarat govt. treasury.

This is just the beginning of our battle to expose Narendra Modi and his corrupt government Gohil has said.

Supreme Court has found Essar Company ineligible for Gujarat incentives for its refinery which has proved that Congress was right in exposing nexus between the company and Gujarat government. Supreme Court order saved Rs. 9,100 crore of the exchequer which would have otherwise gone to the company illegally, said Shaktisinh Gohil in a statement here today.

Gohil pointed out that it was a sustained campaign by Congress in Gujarat Assembly that forced Gujarat government to go in appeal against Gujarat High Court order which held that Essar was eligible for incentives of Rs. 9,100 crore from Gujarat government.

The leader of Opposition said that the Gujarat government had deliberately not disclosed certain conditions for the incentives during the hearing of the matter in the High Court. Consequently, Essar, with this help from the government, had got a favourable judgment from the Gujarat High Court.

Had Congress not exposed the nexus between Essar and Gujarat government, Essar would have enjoyed the booty. But for the Congress campaign it could not be done, Gohil said. A circular under which Essar had claimed the benefit was quoted in the House by Gohil to expose the nexus between the two.

Supreme Court, prima facie, found that the company could not avail benefit of the incentive and so it passed an order against the Company.

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