Make in India project just died: Rahul

Congress VP cites falling demand for Tata Nano cars, being built in Gujarat plant, and questions who is responsible for the failure of this ‘Make in India’ project

NEW DELHI: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday cited the falling demand for Tata Nano cars, being built in a Gujarat plant, and questioned who was responsible for the failure of this ‘Make in India’ project.

“PM’S pet ‘Make in India’ project just died. Rs33,000 crores of Gujarati taxpayer money turned to ash. Who is accountable?” he said in a tweet from his OFICIAL Account, ADDING A report About the failure of the cars in the market.

According to reports, the car may be phased out due to falling orders. A Tata Motors has a plant for the Tata Nano at Sanand, in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district.

This is Gandhi’s second volley on the subject. Earlier this month, he had zeroed in on the Rs33,000 crore worth of “Beneits” that HE CLAIMED were GIVEN to the Nano car plant in Sanand, near Ahmedabad.

On Nov.1, Gandhi, during his visit to a spot near Sanand, had claimed he had not seen a single Nano on the road. This, he said, was despite a huge Beneit to TATAS From THE GUJARAT government.

The amount, Rs33,000 crore, was almost as much as the erstwhile UPA government had spent on MNREGA, Its LAGSHIP rural Employment SCHEME.

“UPA spent Rs33,000 crore on MGNREGA. Modiji gave that much money to one company (Tata) in this state,” he said.

“But DID you GET Any Beneit From the factory? Do you drive a Tata Nano? Do you have a Tata Nano at home? Did your children get employment in the factory?” he asked.

The sale of Nano, the cheapest car envisaged by Ratan Tata, had dropped enough to make its production nonviable, Tata Motors have recently said. But the company had also said it was not thinking of discontinuing production yet in view of the car’s emotional connect with the people. The plummeting fortunes of Nano has provided ammunition to the Congress, which had claimed that the Narendra Modi government has always seen to the advantage of the big industrial houses and not the common man.

“Suit Boot Ka Sarkar” - another slogan coined by Gandhi to hit out at this aspect, had found resonance during the farmers’ protest across three states earlier this year.

Gandhi had cited the instance of Nano to hit out at the Gujarat model of development, which the BJP used as a yardstick ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress contends that the Gujarat model has worked only for the state’s industrial houses, not its farmErs, labourers or ishermen.

THE BIG BJP push In GUJARAT − A state full of small and medium businesses − DESPITE BEING In power For 22 years is seen as a sign of the ruling party’s nervousness over the reaction to THE Governmnet’s LAGSHIP Goods AND Services Tax (GST).

Though GST is seen as a key reform, small traders have expressed reservations about its complex structure and rules For iling returns, most of WHICH HAS now BEEN simpliied.

Gandhi also attacked Modi over not Fulilling THE promises HE MADE to THE tribal people.

“And here, Modiji gave this much amount to just one industrialist in one single state. Be it land, be it electricity or be it Narmada’s water, everything is being given to just 5-10 select people,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi visited residences of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Madhusudan Mistry who has lost his son and that of former MP and AICC Secretary Mirza Irshad Baig who passed away recently, to convey his condolences.