Gujarat a developed region since Harappan era Cong leader Gohil on PM's speech

Ahmedabad, Sep 27 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday said it's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's misconception that Gujarat became a developed state when he was the chief minister "because the region and its people were developed since the era of Harappan civilisation".
    The Gujarat Congress president said development is in the DNA of the Gujarati people. "If someone claims that the state was developed because of him only, it is an insult to the state," he added.
    Addressing a press conference, Gohil rejected the PM's claim that foreign investors wanting to invest in Gujarat were being threatened by the then Central government (of UPA) when he was the chief minister.
    "The PM claimed that Gujarat became a developed state due to his efforts and initiatives, especially the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. I urge the PM to have a look at the history of Harappan civilisation, including Dholavira and Lothal in Gujarat, which existed thousands of years ago.
    "You will find that Gujarat region and its people were far more developed than any other civilisations even thousands of years ago, because development is in the DNA of Gujarati people. In that background, if someone now claims that Gujarat achieved development because of him only, it is an insult to Gujarat," Gohil said.
    He was referring to Modi's speech earlier in the day to mark 20 years of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit wherein the prime minister took potshots at the previous Congress-led UPA government over its "indifferent" attitude towards the then Gujarat's development.
    The investor gathering was first organised in 2003 when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.
    Gohil said the prime minister made only political observations during the speech and claimed that whatever Gujarat has achieved so far was only because of him (Modi).
    "We were expecting that he would talk about the devastation caused by the flood in Bharuch district due to the water released suddenly from the dam on his birthday and scold the BJP government for its approach. However, he did not say anything about it," the Congress leader said.
    He claimed Gujarat was number one in attracting real investment across the country when Congress was in power in the state (before 1995).
    "I am talking about real investment, not about those MoUs signed during Vibrant Summits and remain on paper only," said Gohil, who was a minister in the previous Congress government.
    On Modi's charge about facing hurdles in organising Vibrant Summits when he was the CM, Gohil sought to know the current rank of Gujarat when BJP is in power in the state and Centre.
    It was under Congress rule that two large privately-held refineries were established in Jamnagar and General Motors established its car manufacturing plant at Halol in Panchmahal, Gohil said.
    "Entire industrial corridor from Vadodara to Navsari came up when Congress was in power. We demand that a white paper be issued by the government about the actual investment against the figures declared by various companies while signing MoUs during previous Vibrant Gujarat Summits," Gohil said.
    He termed the Vibrant Gujarat Summit as a platform to indulge in corruption without any fear.
    "If we corroborate the figures of investment declared during Vibrant Summits with the generation of employment, no youth will be left without a job in Gujarat," claimed Gohil.
    If Modi's claim that foreign investors wanting to invest in Gujarat were being threatened by the then Central government (of UPA), then why no BJP leader elected from Gujarat to Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, including LK Advani, ever raised that issue if it was true? he asked.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)