Chouhan slams critics of global meet

Indore, Oct 26 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today came down heavily on critics of the ongoing 'Global Investors Meet' and declared that he would not allow anyone to become a road block in the state's progress.

Lambasting those who term the meet as a ''circus show of the government'', he said ''to us, it is a pledge'' to take the state on fast track of development.

''We should not get carried away by the complexes from which certain frustrated elements suffer''he said, adding ''to a discerning and dispassionate eye, this can never be seen as a disneyfication of the industry. We have not organised a celebratory carnival of investors.'' He was addressing a galaxy of top industry leaders, both domestic and foreign, here. The presence of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group Chairman Anil Ambani boosted the morale of the organisers.

''To me, it is not the end of a programme but beginning of an association and a dialogue'', Mr Chouhan said, pointing out that as the preparations of the global meet was underway, ''the habitual skeptics have started raising doubts''.

He, however, felt that ''we need not curse globalisation but should shape it properly so that it works our way'' Referring to criticism that the government was harming the interest of locals by organising global meet , the Chief Minister explained that ''the truth remains that even in this meet more than 50 investors are from Madhya Pradesh. Very style of my governance is inclusive and an open-door policy is the name of the game. Hence, there is no question of neglecting the local industries''.

UNI