By Express News Service
Published: 21st December 2014 05:47 AM
ALUVA: “The Kerala Government remains mired in so many corruption cases like Palmolein, Titanium and Solar scam. It has completely eroded the per capita income of Kerala which was once the highest in the country. Under the 11th year plan, the growth rate of Kerala was a mere 7.6 per cent while the states under BJP rule grew at over 10 per cent,’’ he said.
Throughout the address, Shah, on a two-day visit to Kerala which ended on Saturday, focused on the achievements of the Modi Government in the six months that it came into power. “This is the first government in decades to come to power with an absolute majority. Inflation has fallen to zero per cent, the lowest in five years. The Modi Government has put India into the spotlight as a manufacturing destination with ‘Make In India’ campaign, giving due focus to skill development. The setting up of an independent ministry for the same will go a long way in honing the skills of the youngsters. More than 3,000 manufacturing companies have come to India with the intention of setting up units here,” he said.
Shah spoke of how policy paralysis, highlighted as a major bane of the UPA regime, ended under the BJP rule. “Each minister in the Cabinet has the final say on the issues concerning their ministry. Deviating from a purely Central hegemony, the PM is working closely with the Chief Ministers of different states to implement a federal system in governance procedures. The completion of the project involving 100 new smart cities would usher in a new era in town development,” he said. He lauded the Swach Bharath and Jan Dhan Yojana schemes as game changers in the nation’s administration. He further praised the foreign policy successes of the NDA Government, claiming that WTO relenting to the MSP proposed by the government would prove to be a huge boost to the farmers. On claims that the government has gone back on several important issues like the Aadhaar and black money, he said the BJP is not opposed to Aadhaar and that it is working out certain issues regarding its implementation.
“Talks are on with the Switzerland Government to help remove the hurdles in bringing back black money. We have constituted a SIT to investigate over 50 accounts under suspicion of harbouring black money. The PM has raised the same concerns at several international forums and a consensus regarding the topic is certainly on the cards,” he said adding that the BJP Government did in six months what the UPA Government failed to do in 10 years on the issue of black money.
He pooh-poohed accusations against the Modi Government by the Congress leaders. “They are all baseless charges and mere subjects of discussion within the media,” he said.