Vaghela cries foul over CM’s claim on investment

“Gujarat has been one of the major investment destinations since ages. Nothing new happened after Modi came to power,” Vaghela said,adding,”The event is nothing but a platform for self-publicity by the chief minister.”

He said that in India,in the wake of the global meltdown,various projects worth Rs 25,000 crore have been aborted,and out of which Gujarat’s share was Rs 23,000 crore. Vaghela was in Rajkot to attend the Shashaktikaran Sabha for Congress’ women wing.

Calling it “A-Satyanaryan Katha”,the union minister said,”If so much investment is coming to Gujarat,why is it not the number one state in attracting investment? It is still number two or three,and has been that way for years.”

He added,”The Gujarat government should release a white paper clarifying how many MoUs,which were signed in the last three summits,have actually materialised on the ground.”

According to Vaghela,only 16 per cent of the total Rs 30 lakh crore investments pledged in the previous summits have materialised. “If all the MoUs with total worth of Rs 30 lakh crore have been implemented,where are the projects and why 10 lakh people are still unemployed? If this much investment has come,no one should be unemployed.” He said the state should make 5 per cent of the total project cost pledged in the MoU as mandatory deposit for the companies. In case the project does not materialise,the company loses the amount.