Taking a dig at BJP's Gujarat model that was widely projected as a huge success in delivering both growth and development, chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda said that the state has historically performed well on economic front because Gujaratis are entrepreneurial. He also pointed out that the state's performance and prosperity are not limited to a particular period. He also refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation that Gujarat has suffered injustice during Congress rule.
"Gujarat has performed well because Gujaratis perform well. This holds true both in and outside the state. It is because of the Gujarati community's risk-taking attitude and entrepreneurial abilities," Pitroda told media persons on Thursday. "This was true right from the time of right from the time of Jivraj Mehta's (Gujarat's first chief minister). We have seen this for all chief ministers," he said when asked to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims that Gujarat's economy was punctured during Congress rule.
To substantiate his claims, he said that during his trip to Brazil about 50 years ago, he met a Gujarati working in a lab. "He was an expert in fibre optics. Wonder how did he end up Brazil! It wasn't so well-known at that time," he said.
Advocating bottom-up approach for the economic development of Gujarat as well as the rest of the country, Pitroda said that strengths of all states need to be harnessed for economic growth, the welfare of masses and creation of jobs in huge numbers. "India imports edible oil worth Rs 82,000 crore. Gujarat is known for peanuts. Why can't it produce oilseeds and oils for the rest of the country? The soil in Kutch is ideal for palm cultivation. If put to proper use, it can produce 10 million jobs," he said.
Coming down heavily on Narendra Modi Pitroda said that most of the promises that were made ahead of last Lok Sabha elections have not been fulfilled. "Where are 100 smart cities? What activity is going on in GIFT City? IL&FS (a partner in GIFT City project) has slipped into bankruptcy. Where are the jobs he had promised? In fact, small businesses are facing the brunt of demonetization and (faulty roll out of) GST," he said.
Claiming that the economy of the country has been ruined in the past five years, he said that its infrastructure is in doldrums, while banks are in deeper debts. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is being used to buy-out existing projects and not on new investments.
Youth need to be told true history
Youth of the country are being misguided through false propaganda, they need to be told the real history of the country, said Sam Pitroda. He said that it was during Congress’ rule that the country achieved milestones in fields of agriculture, various industries, science and technology, space, defence among other areas. “When we got independence, the population of the country was around 300 million. 77 per cent of them were poor. Now the population stands at around 2 billion, and only 20 per cent of them are poor. We could hold the country together, preserve democratic traditions, made developments in education, established scientific labs,” he said. However, he lamented that today social media is spreading falsehood and those who oppose the government are threatened and tagged as ‘anti-national’.
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 "Sam Pitroda")
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