Modi’s Vibrant Gujarat is a myth.
Find herewith excerpts of an important press conference addressed by Leader Of Opposition, Gujarat, Shri Shaktisinh Gohil:
Press Note :
Modi’s vibrant gujarat is a myth. It is a facade woven by a meglomaniac. Vibrant Gujarat‘s mathematic, vibrant gujarat’s hype, vibrant gujarat’s so called summits are all an eye wash. The reality is starkingly different. The 5.5 crore population of Gujarat has a right to know the truth.
Show casing Gujarat and inviting investments for Gujarat is always welcome. Entrepreneurship runs in Gujarati blood and we would all be happy to have investment in Gujarat but instead of investment we don’t want lies. MOUs that exist only on paper. Statistics that is not just manipulated but cooked up but to give a rosy picture.
Please consider the following points.
1. GIFT was announced by the chief minister. In Modi’s words it was an ambitious 70076 crore project. As it always has happened, GIFT is also a fantasy only. GIFT will give employment to 10 lakh people in Gujarat, Mr Modi had assured Gujaratis. Has it given employment to even a thousand people, Mr Modi?
2. Worse Kerala is not even an industrialised state still look at the figures below.
The % of house holds who:-
a) Have a television : Kerala (67.7), Gujarat (53.8)
b) Live in a pucca house : Kerala (84.1), Gujarat (56.4)
c) Have access to a toilet facility: Kerala (96), Gujarat (54.6)
d) Have electricity : Kerala (91), Gujarat (89.3)
In short, Gujarat is vibrant only in Modi’s mind and his selected coterie of people. For the majority it is not.
3 . If Mr Modi is bringing so much investment, so many employment opportunities- 10 lakh through GIFT alone, please consider the foll figures.
As per Gujarat govt records there are 4.59 lakh undergraduates, 1.99 lakh graduates and 22,000 diploma holders clamouring for a job of whatever level and pay in so called Vibrant Gujarat.
4. The thrust of the Global Investors Summit this year in VIbrant Gujarat is SME. Modi wants to adopt Italian model and make Gujarat SME at par with international level. What hollow talk. What has he done to salvage the SME sector in Gujarat.
How many times has Mr Modi given an audience to Gujarat‘s SME ? why special incentives to cash rich companies only. Why Nano gets so many incentives by Modi but SME are not even given any primary relief during this period of global recession?
In last 11 months, over 62,000 SMEs , mostly small scale, have closed down in Gujarat. Out of 5000 medium enterprises whom RBI had given loans, 1000 have closed down. Can we first have Gujarat SME issue addressed please instead of this window dressing?
5. Ditto with diamond industry. Look at their state and plight. But then diamond industry for Modi becomes a Central Issue. He can sign international MOUs and talk big and show dreams to foreign nationals but not give a thought to the plight of lakhs of diamond workers who have started opting out their children from schools for lack of funds. Charity should begin from home. Why are home grown work force and enterprises discriminated?
6. Modi’s math is all screwed up if his own government is to be believed. But his integrity is even more questionable than his math. For instance, while the Chief Minister confidently boasted of a spectacular success rate of 63.5 per cent in terms of implementation of proposed investments made in vibrant summits in 2005 and 2007, we all know that his own government has admitted that they have not been able to get even 25% of the so called MOUs implemented even in the primary stage. As per the RTI, success rate of vibrant gujarat 2005 is 23. 52%. Mr Modi on wednesday had claimed the 2005 vibrant success rate to be 69.7 per cent.
Isn’t it shameful for a person of a CM’s stature to lie to people of Gujarat and cook up stories of his success rate. While Mr Modi claimed earlier this week that proposed investment flow in Vibrant 2007 was 4.61,835 crore, his own government has given the figure of 4.51.835. To lie and bungle up a 10,000 crore figure maybe routine for Mr Modi as a person, but shameful for a Chief Minister to do so. Not surprisng that Maheshwar Sahu, the managing director of GIDC who made the vibrant 2009 presentation has said that Modis figure are authentic. Everyone knows the price to prove Mr Modi wrong isn’t it? Government, entire bureaucrats, officials can be wrong but Modi cannot be wrong. Also, it is now clear. Henceforth, getting information from RTI will become increasingly difficult. Mr Modi will shoot the messenger.
7. It had been announced a bank would set up a regional hub in Gandhinagar at the cost of Rs 1,500 crore. The company had initially committed Rs 1,000 crore at the Vibrant Gujarat Investors’ Summit 2007 and then said the bank had increased its commitment eventually.
The regional hub, was originally supposed to be a 24-storey structure. However, it was then graduated to overlook the city from a height of 31 storeys. The project was to generate employment strength of 30,000. There is not even a brick in sight.
At any cost Mr Modi wants to cook up lies, manipulate figures and mislead the media and the public in general. Whatever happens, he wants foreign faces in his vibrant summit. Several people are being invited by the government. It’s a free paid holiday sponsored by the government with the burden being passed on their blue eyed industrialists and government owned corporations. For instance the government’s tourism department has INVITED 99 foreign participants for the kite festival. Who has paid for them. Also to ensure that there are more foreign faces in the vibrant summit now the kite festivals at Mehsana and Vadodara have been scrapped.
I appeal to the MEDIA not to get carried away by the hi tech glitzy glamour laden Modinomics and the fake facts and figures provided by him. I request you all to listen to the plight of the diamond worker whose industrial unit has not reopened after Diwali and who has to discontinue his child’s studies from the primary school, the plight of all SME who are struggling to exist amidst global recession.
Lying is often a pathological disorder and I hope good sense prevails upon the head of our state to get his facts right.
Thank you and I request you to expose Mr Modi and this myth of Vibrant Gujarat *