Modi projects Ahmedabad as India's next employment hub

He said this at the end of his day-long Sadbhavana Mission fast in this town of Ahmedabad district while referring to the auto-hub coming up in neighbouring Sanand, barely 20 kms from here.

Modi had launched his Sadbhavana Mission in Ahmedabad city last September, but had not announced any developmental packages in the initial fasts. But on Tuesday, he announced a package of Rs 3,800 crore, of which Rs 2,000 crore, would be for Ahmedabad city. The money would be spent on education, hospitals roads, gas pipelines and other infrastructure projects.

Modi said his Sadbhavana Mission had turned into a ‘social revolution’ and that his 10 years of rule in the state has only taken Gujarat on the fast track of development unlike the Congress regimes which only followed the ‘vote bank’ policy and kept the people of the state divided on religion, caste and other basis.

While mentioning the ongoing election campaign in Uttar Pradesh for the Assembly elections there, he said it surprises him that every other day Gujarat and his name is used as model of development. Modi claimed that people in Amethi and Rae Bareli (UP) are surprised when they are told that electricity in Gujarat is a 24x7 affair.

On the other hand, he said, the Centre failed to provide 100 days jobs under its own programme to the unemployed in this time of inflation, while the functionaries were busy only in dividing the society. “While the Congressmen worship chair, we adore public. While their’s is vote bank politics, ours is that of development,” he said.

Earlier in the day, women came in droves with garbis (decorated earthen pots set on bamboo framed canopies) on their heads and dhajas (flags usually seen on temple turrets) and pots of jowar sprouts — usually holy offerings to goddesses during Navratri — for Modi.

The fast at Bavla, 40 kms from Ahmedabad city, resembled a pilgrimage or a padyatra with thousands of women from various villages parading before the CM, who waved, or simply ‘blessed’ them like an evangelist. Men came wearing Modi on their t-shirts and saffron turbans or caps. The effect was complete with Gujarati singer Farida Mir singing bhajans and garbas in the background.
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