Modi flayed for tribal appeasement before election

Gandhinagar, Sep 3 (UNI) Opposition Leader in the Gujarat State Assembly Arjun Modhwadia today came down heavily on Chief Minister Narendra Modi, charging him with tribal appeasement before the forthcoming Assembly Election in the state.

''When the election is round the corner, Mr Modi is hiring tribals at the government's expense to attend large public meetings.

By making tall claims of development, Mr Modi is misleading the public of Gujarat,'' said Mr Modhwadia referring to the public meeting at the tribal dominated town of Khedbramha in Sabarkantha district, where Mr Modi had announced ''Vanbandhu Yojana'' tribal welfare project yesterday.

''Where was Mr Modi when the tribals of Gujarat were steeped in poverty for the past five years? It is only at the time of election that he has suddenly remembered the tribals,'' Mr Modhwadia said.

''It was Mr Modi who had once ignited the anti-reservation agitation in the state. He has patronised those who indulge in corporatisation of the education system, by removing reservation quota from the self-financed colleges in the state and introducing management quota in its place,'' he alleged.

''The Modi government has not implemented tribal welfare projects introduced by the Central Government. In order to help the landless tribals living in forest procure land, the Central Government had passed the Forest Rights Law in 2006. However, the Modi Government has not taken any initiative in implementing this law so far,'' he added.

''The UPA Government has passed the Employment Guarantee Law in which every family has to be provided with a job within 100 days.

The Central Government has granted Rs 95 crore from which the government of Gujarat has not even spent Rs 44 crore,'' he said.

''Moreover, by putting the condition for the tribals to produce Below Poverty Line card for acquiring any government aid, the Modi Government has ultimately deprived lakhs of tribal families of health, social welfare, housing and education aids worth Rs 500 crores in the past five years,'' charged Mr Modhwadia.

UNI