Centre’s injustice cannot wilt Gujarat crops: Narendra Modi

Praising Gujarat's 11% growth rate in agriculture, despite the "Centre's unjust policy" towards the state, chief minister Narendra Modi said the credit for the same goes to the farmers.

"The Centre has ruined farmers and farming. Only Gujarat has managed to steer itself on the right path and touch a growth rate of 11% against the national average of 3% in agriculture," said Modi.
Taking potshots at the Congress championing the cause of cow protection, Modi said the UPA government at the Centre was imposing taxes on cotton and giving subsidy for mutton exports.

Defending his government on power subsidy, he said it was considerably higher compared to earlier times.

"This government gives a power subsidy of around Rs3,000 crore while the past governments gave a mere Rs500 crore power subsidy to farmers," said Modi.

On the land acquisition issue, Modi alleged that while past governments snatched fertile land in Ankleshwar and Vapi for industrial houses, his government had set up industries in coastal areas and on arid land.

The chief minister also felicitated Parathibhai Gudol, a farmer from the Chaudhary-Gudol community who registered a record 87 tonne /hectare production in potato farming using drip irrigation. He broke the earlier record of 53 tonne/hectare production of potato recorded in Netherlands.

Other ministers, president of Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation, MLAs, agriculture-cooperative federation leaders and several religious leaders were present on the occasion.