‘Modi hasn’t resolved issues that he raised as CM’

Gandhinagar: Congresssman Paresh Dhanani, leader of opposition (LOP) in the state assembly, listing more than a hundred major issues affecting Gujarat that are pending with the government of India, in the assembly said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not resolved most of the issues that he officially raised with the UPA government as chief minister of Gujarat.
Speaking on the budgetary demands of the general administration department (GAD), Dhanani said, “As the CM of Gujarat, the PM publicly demanded that Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam project be declared a project of national importance but in his 48 months as Prime Minister, he has not done it. “In 2013, a booklet was given to MPs from Gujarat, to raise the issues affecting the state with the UPA government, like establishing a cargo handling centre at Ahmedabad airport, shifting the Western Railway headquarters to Ahmedabad, constructing a ring road around the Gir National Park and Sanctuary, security issues, roads etc.

“After 2015, many issues pursued by him as CM have been dropped by the Gujarat government without being resolved. Most of the issues which Narendra Modi had representations on as CM have not been resolved and the state BJP government has completely stopped raising them, which shows their solely political motives only.

“He (PM) raised issues like including the birthplace of Sardar Patel, Karamsad, on the JNURM cities list, but after coming to power he did nothing. Those who could not complete the metro rail in 10 years are now promising a bullet train.”

Speaking about the roads and buildings department’s demands, Dhanani said, “The Gujarat government has purposely shifted a number of state roads to the government of India (GoI) as national highways and GoI has handed them over to private companies and allowed them to collect toll from the people of Gujarat.”

Nitin Patel, the deputy chief minister, responding to Dhanani’s allegations, said, “100% credit for completion of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam goes to PM Narendra Modi as the Congress tried to stop the project for years. Congress never had the will to complete the project associated with Sardar Patel’s name, due to loyalty to the Nehru family.”

Patel said, “The GoI has approved a new greenfield airport near Rajkot. For better maintenance and development of roads, state highways have been given to the central government. Using toll roads, vehicles from other states can pass through Gujarat, generating through new hotels etc. Gujarat has got a Rs 1 lakh crore bullet train project .”