On the second day of this three-day visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a busy schedule. The PM, according to his office, will arrive at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar at 9.30 am to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, followed by a meeting with the CEOs of top global corporations. Then, around 3 pm Modi will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show. In the evening, the PM and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are scheduled to hold a 3-km roadshow in Ahmedabad. The PM will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on Wednesday. In context: The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is being held for the first time in five years. It was Modi’s brainchild when he was at the helm of the state. The summit became the government’s showpiece event to engage with the governments of other countries and international businesses and attract investments to the state. The summit helped shape the narrative of the Gujarat model of growth, which in turn helped Modi reap political dividends as he catapulted to power on the national stage in 2014. Though Gujarat is one of the biggest economies in the country, questions continue to be posed about whether it is a model that should be emulated. Another impact that the Vibrant Gujarat summit has had is that other states — from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu — now organise their own investor meetings. Strike in Tamil Nadu State-run buses are scheduled to go off the road from Tuesday after unions of transport workers announced a strike after talks with the DMK-led government failed on Monday. There were reports of the strike beginning in some parts of the state from Monday evening itself, according to PTI. The unions have a six-point charter of demands, including the initiation of talks for enhanced wages (15th wage revision pact), filling vacant posts, and release of pending dearness allowance for current and retired workers. Tamil Nadu’s main Opposition AIADMK has backed the indefinite strike, with its trade wing Anna Thozhirsanga Peravai among the unions supporting the move. AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami has criticised the DMK for running a government “without any humanitarian considerations” as it has not come forward to meet even a single demand of the unions. Transport Minister S S Sivasankar has said the demands will be met when the state’s financial situation improves. He has alleged “political motives” behind the strike call and said it will cause hindrance to the public. The minister has also warned of appropriate action if required. If the impasse is not resolved, the DMK government may have a political hot potato on its hands in the days leading up to the festival of Pongal, which is on January 15. Adityanath in Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will be in Ayodhya on Tuesday to meet with the officials of the Ram Temple Trust and seers. They will discuss the preparations for the January 22 consecration ceremony of the idol that will be installed at the temple. According to the district administration, Adityanath will also inspect the waterworks at Amani Ganj, a police control room and tent cities being constructed by the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation. In the afternoon, he will visit exhibitions organised by the forest and urban development departments at the Circuit House. — With PTI inputs
