By IANS
New Delhi : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi got a pat on his back from senior leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday — the day he completed six years in office — for his development initiatives.
Former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani and former union minister Arun Shourie showered praises on Modi ahead of assembly election in the state.
The occasion was the release by Shekhawat of the book, “Gujarat: Beyond the Obvious, A Reportage on Initiatives for Inclusive Growth”, brought out by consultancy firm Ernst & Young.
Advani said Modi is the most criticised chief minister in the country but today even the opposition was forced to accept his achievements. He claimed that under Modi’s leadership Gujarat has become the least corrupt state in the country.
Shouries was the most vocal in his support for Modi. He compared the governments of Gujarat and West Bengal on several points and said: “Gujarat and Modi are a by-word for performance and getting things done.”
Referring to the arson and rioting seen in West Bengal over the past few days protesting irregularities in the Public Distribution System (PDS), Shourie said that contrary to Bengal incidents, Gujarat had set an example by transforming ration shops into village malls.
He praised Modi for reviving sick public sector units (PSUs) without disinvestments and for facilitating the reverse migration of labour from urban to rural areas.
Shekhawat appreciated the initiatives taken by Modi in the areas of water conservation and utility even as he asked him to resolve the pending issue of sharing of Narmada waters with Rajasthan.
Recapping the initiatives taken by his government in the last six years, Modi said: “My effort is to bring about development of Gujarat for the development of India.”
Talking to reporters he said, “Gujarat has set a target of achieving 11.2 percent growth in the next five-year plan.”
He, however, refused to answer any questions on political developments in his state that goes to polls in less than three months amid growing rebellion from BJP legislators and state-level leaders.