PM Modi takes dig at Congress over tribal development

Modi, who was the Gujarat chief minister from 2001 to 2014, hailed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ensuring speedy development in Gujarat during the last two decades.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for multiple projects worth ₹3,050 crore in tribal-dominated Khudvel in Gujarat even as he took a swipe at the Congress for “never taking interest in the development of tribal areas”.

Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for multiple projects worth ₹3,050 crore in tribal-dominated Khudvel in Gujarat. (PTI)

“Those who ruled the country for a long time, never took interest in the development of tribal areas as it requires hard work...there was a chief minister from this area whose own village did not have a water tank. There was a handpump that did not function properly at times. After I got an opportunity to serve as the chief minister, I got a water tank installed in his village,” the PM said at the Gujarat Gaurav Abhiyan rally at Khudvel in Navsari district.

Modi, who was the Gujarat chief minister from 2001 to 2014, hailed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ensuring speedy development in Gujarat during the last two decades. “The rapid development in the state during the last two decades is the pride of Gujarat. In the last eight years, following the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, our government has put utmost emphasis on the welfare of the people in the state,” he said.

He added that continuous welfare and projects of development have been part of his governance style for a long and these projects are beyond any electoral consideration.

“Some people would say that elections are around so we are announcing these projects. I challenge that someone can find out one week in the last 22 years when we did not carry out any development project.”

The prime minister’s visit comes a few months ahead of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly polls, which will be held in December 2022 to elect 182 members of the state’s Legislative Assembly. In the 2017 elections, the BJP won nine of 27 seats reserved for scheduled tribes and Congress 15. After defections and by-elections, both BJP and Congress have a dozen lawmakers each from the state’s tribal belt.

During the one-day visit, Modi also performed the bhoomi pujan (groundbreaking) for 13 water supply projects for Tapi, Navsari and Surat districts worth ₹961 crore. He inaugurated Nal Se Jal projects worth ₹163 crore and Astol regional water supply project worth about ₹586 crore linked to Madhuban Dam.

“Due to this project, we have been able to take water to the hilly region as high as a 200-storeyed building. If it was for elections, one would not put in this kind of effort for 200-300 votes. This project is a marvel in the field of engineering...the tribal people living in the hilly areas face issues of access to water. They reside in isolated areas [and] deserve access to drinking water. This is not just about water,” Modi said.

Modi said he was overwhelmed by the size of the gathering. “I take pride in getting the opportunity to serve as the chief minister of Gujarat. But never have I witnessed such a large gathering of tribals. I am proud that after leaving Gujarat, whoever took the responsibility, has done commendable work,” Modi said, lauding Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP chief CR Patil, who represents South Gujarat’s Navsari in Parliament.

“South Gujarat receives one of the highest rainfall in the country. I want to ask why it took them twenty-seven years to make arrangements for drinking water for the people of this region. The BJP has not built a single dam in Gujarat, all of them were started in Congress’ time. While private hospitals and health care facilities have come up in the last few years, not a single government hospital has been set up in the last twenty-seven years. The public healthcare sector in Gujarat is in shambles,” said Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia.

Later in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated the AM Naik Healthcare Complex and Nirali Multi Speciality Hospital in Navsari. He also virtually inaugurated the Kharel education complex.

In a public address at Navsari, he said the initiatives taken in the health care sector during his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat are today being replicated at a national level.

The Prime Minister recalled his days as Gujarat’s chief minister when he launched schemes like Swasthya Gujarat, Ujjwal Gujarat, and Mukhyamanti Amritam Yojna.

“My experience in Gujarat has helped in serving the poor of the entire country,” said Modi, referring to the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Of late, BJP has been facing challenges from the tribal belt. In March this year, the ruling BJP government in Gujarat urged the Central leadership to halt the Par-Tapi-Narmada (PTN) river-linking project to avoid the displacement of tribals from their ancestral land in the project-affected region.

Thousands of tribals, mostly from Navsari district, had been protesting for over a month after the project was announced in the Union Budget this year in February. The project has been put on a back-burner since then. Congress leader Anant Patel, who has a strong following in the tribal region, had supported the movement.

On May 3, three-time MLA and tribal leader Ashwin Kotwal resigned from Congress and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat. A few weeks later on May 24, Keval Joshiyara, son of late Congress MLA Anil Joshiyara - a popular tribal leader and a five-time MLA from Bhiloda seat in Aravalli district, joined BJP.