Modi deplores Centre's ''arm-twisting''

Lucknow, Dec 23 (UNI) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today charged the Centre of ''arm twisting'' and imposing unnecessary taxes on his state.

Addressing the party's National Council meeting here, he alleged that the Centre had taken 200 MW from the state's share of power of when it learnt that his Government was providing round the clock power supply.

He said ''if the Centre's fight is against me, it should hang me but not harass the farmers of the state.'' The State Government had taken several initiatives which has been appreciated by other countries.

President APJ Abdul Kalam and some Union ministers had acknowledged the strides made by the state in many fields, including Agriculture in which it had tripled its production, he said adding Gujarat was able to increase its agriculture yield due to better water management.

He claimed that it was the BJP and NDA governments which were sincerely implementing the 20 point programme initiated by Mrs Indira Gandhi to eradicate poverty. But till now no Congress or its allies government figured in the top five states in its implementation, he said.

He said he himself fought for the Sardar Sarovar Dam and sat on a dharna. His stand was vindicated by the Court and raising the height of the dam to 121 metre would be completed by the end of this year itself, he added.

On the farmer's suicide issue, he said while the farmers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra were commiting suicides due to failure of Bt cotton, farmers in Gujarat had multiplied their income by cultivating the same variety.

He alleged that it was after 30 years that the country was forced to import wheat because of the governments faulty agriculture policy. But the farmers in his state, at his appeal had taken up wheat cultivation instead of cash crops and increased the production manifold. Gujarat infact exported wheat to China to the tune of 3 lakh tonnes, he said.

Mr Modi called upon his counterparts from non-coastal states to take advantage of the Gujarat coastline to increase their trade. ''I am ready to provide all facilities for it,'' he said.

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