Gujarat looking for change, says Ambika Soni

Ahmedabad, Dec 9 (UNI) Congress leader and Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni today said the people of Gujarat are looking for a change--a government that delivers.

Addressing mediapersons here, Ms Soni said after arriving here yesterday, she had met a cross-section of people at three public meetings and the mood was clear: 'Gujarat needs a change'.

Pooh-poohing the BJP charge that the state was getting step-motherly treatment, Ms Soni said the Centre had been generous with funds whether be it NREG or for any rural employment projects.

She pointed out that hardly half the central amount had been spent on construction of bridges in the state with most of the funds lying idle. ''Nearly half of the bridges to be built and for whose allocation has been made are in Gujarat,'' she said.

Charging the Chief Minister Narendra Modi of changing its agenda on development to its old (Hindutva) agenda, she said while returning from one of her meetings she met BJP workers, who asked her ''what will happen in Gujarat.'' This was a pointer that there were no takers for the new agenda, she said.

To a query whether the advertisement released today by the Union minorities welfare department was not a model code violation,Ms Soni said she had not seen the advertisement. However, she said whatever the advertisement, it was with reference to the promises made by the Congress in its last manifesto.

UNI