Bharatiya Janata Party has been surrounded by criticism of its own senior leaders and former leaders for some time now. This time, BJP's ex-chief minister of Gujrat attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in Gujarat.
Suresh Mehta was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from October 1995 to September 1996 of BJP. But he feels that the BJP's position may be in a turbulent phase in the forthcoming Gujarat elections.
According to Mehta, the BJP government in Gujarat has been taking decisions for anti-farmer and corporate interests. In the interview given to the news website 'The Wire', Suresh Mehta claimed that "Gujarat model of development will not sell this time ... Gujarat model is only a junkie of words. The truth about Gujarat lies in some other story."
When Narendra Modi was made Chief Minister of Gujarat instead of Keshubhai Patel, Mehta was in his Cabinet.
Suresh Mehta told The Wire, "In the year 2004, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reviewed the financial condition of Gujarat. At that time the state government had debt between four and six thousand crores. Therefore, the CAG had warned the state not to be caught in the vicious circle of debt. But the government ignored the matter of CAG. According to the latest budget presented by the state government, in the year 2017, the debt on Gujarat has increased to one lakh 98 thousand crores. These are not my figures. These are the government's own figures. In February 2017, the state government has announced in a statement issued under the Gujarat Fiscal Responsibility Act 2005."
Suresh Mehta also accused BJP's Gujarat government of reducing the exemption given to farmers. Mehta told The Wire, ".... the same document shows what is the priority of the Gujarat government. The exemption (subsidy) to be given in the agricultural matter, which is being received by the farmers, is continuously decreasing from the financial year 2006-07. In the financial year 2006-07, Rs 195 crore and Rs 408 crore was given in the financial year 2007-08, which has been reduced to Rs 80 crore in the financial year 2016-17."
Mehta alleged that the BJP government of Gujarat, along with reducing the wages of the farmers, is increasing the exemptions in energy and petrochemical sectors that benefit the traders like Adani and Ambani.
Mehta said to The Wire, "... ... compare the exemption of this (farmers) exemption to the energy and petrochemical sector, which runs Adani and Ambani. In the financial year 2006-07, the exemption of 1873 crore received from these sectors increased to Rs 4471 crore (revised figures) in the financial year 2016-17.''
Mehta claimed that the budget of food and supplies affecting the poor and the common people also reduced by the BJP government from Rs 130 crore to Rs 52 crore.
Mehta alleged that PM Narendra Modi had announced that the money from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue of 'Statue of Unity' was also being funded from the Narmada project fund.
Mehta claimed that the Finance Minister of Gujarat told in the Legislative Assembly that Rs. 3000 crore has been given from Narmada project fund to make idol of Sardar Patel.
Mehta asked, how can the government spend money for the funding of irrigation and the farmers' interest on the idol?
Mehta surrounded Narendra Modi and said that before coming to his top, BJP was a different party.
Mehta told The Wire that he left the BJP 2007, due to the differences that started in 2002, from Narendra Modi.
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