Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener Arvind Kejriwal Thursday rubbished the Gujarat model of development, maintaining it has benefited industrialists like the Ambanis and Adanis, not the farmers.
Addressing a meeting in Gandhidham he found fault with the present Gujarat model of development, terming it as “bakwas” (meaningless).
Quoting the villagers near Mundra, where the Adanis have set up India’s largest private port and special economic zone (SEZ), he said they were paid only Rs 90,000 per acre for acquiring their land, while its market rate was between Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore. “Government land was doled out to the Adanis for merely one to two rupees per acre. This is nothing but anti-farmer policy,” alleged Kejriwal on the second day of his four-day Gujarat visit to “study” the Gujarat model.
Referring to the recent attack on his car by unidentified persons, the former Delhi Chief Minister said, “We welcome everybody, even those who have attacked us. They don’t know the reality. Gradually as they understand, and they too will join us.”
“People are fed up with Modi. When we asked why did they elect him thrice as CM, they said Modi was good at crushing the opposition with money power,” he said, while denouncing “rampant corruption and poor implementation of prohibition policy” in Gujarat.
Alleging a nexus between big business and the Gujarat Government, he said, “It appears that land in entire Gujarat is on sale.” He castigated big industrialists saying they could flee to Switzerland any day with the money they have earned.