New Delhi: Mahagujarat Janata Party president Gordhan Zadafia on Wednesday rubbished Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi`s claims of huge Foreign Direct Investment in the state in the last five years, uninterrupted power, high employment and growth in education sector.
"There is a myth about development in Gujarat under Modi. A lot of publicity was done about the five Vibrant Gujarat summits and FDI of Rs 39.60 lakh crore. But the figures revealed through an RTI query shows actual investment was only Rs 1.85 lakh crore, which is just 4.68 per cent of the proposed investment," he told reporters here.
He maintained while 17,701 MoUs were signed, only 1,907 projects were commissioned.
Zadafia, who was Minister of State for Home in Modi`s cabinet before quitting BJP and floating his own party post- Gujarat riots, feels Modi has not revealed the real figures of employment given to locals in the various industries set up in the state.
While the proposed employment was one crore, the actual employment figure on November 30, 2011 was 2,98,714.
"Gujarat today stands fifth among states in terms of growth while it was second under Keshubhai Patel`s chief ministership. Entrepreneurship is inherent in the people of Gujarat, it has nothing much to do with Modi being in power," he said.
Zadafia, who is still close to RSS and its ideology, said he will field candidates against BJP in all the 182 constituencies of Gujarat in the forthcoming state polls.
"I and my party workers go to RSS sakha (meetings). BJP still has to decide its ideology. It is an opportunistic party. MJP Is the real BJP of Deen Dayal Upadhyay (BJP ideologue)," he said.
Zadafia also alleged that Modi had provided undue sops to
industrialists to set up shop in Gujarat, which led to draining of the exchequer.
These business houses had not delivered their side of the bargain and reneged on providing employment to local people, he said.
Referring to a major car manufacturing company, Zadafia said it was given a Rs 33,000 crore waiver, stamp duty and registration fee exemption and free power as well as a moratorium of 20 years. However, the company has not kept its promise of giving 20 per cent jobs to locals.
"Ministers in Modi`s cabinet went around the world looking for FDI under Vibrant Gujarat but nothing came of it," Zadafia claimed.
The former Gujarat minister alleged the state has lagged behind in Human Development Index to the 10th position, and stands at sixth position in per capita income.
He said even the claims of 24 hour uninterrupted power supply to the whole of Gujarat is a myth.
"Gujarat is generating power at Rs 14 per unit and selling it to other states at Rs 3.50," he claimed, adding that there were 4,50,000 pending applications for power connections in tribal areas of Gujarat.
"Farmers get only eight hours of power when earlier they used to get 16 hours everyday," he said.
Zadafia also said the number of students enrolling for primary education in Gujarat has fallen by 14.50 lakh.
PTI
