Modi blasts previous government as Vibrant Gujarat summit, started by him in 2003, completes 2 decades

The prime minister said the previous federal ministers not only attended the summit but also foreign investors were threatened against visiting it.

• Shubham
• 27 September, 2023

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By: Shubham Ghosh

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (27) recalled the two-decade-long journey of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit which was started by him as the chief minister of the western state in 2003. He inaugurated the summit, which was started to position Gujarat as a global leader in industry and trade, in Ahmedabad, the state’s commercial capital.

Recalling the biennial business event’s journey all these years at a programme marking the event’s 20 years in Science City, Ahmedabad, he accused the previous Indian government of not cooperating in staging the summit. The prime minister also not only the then federal ministers not only refused to attend the summit, but even foreign investors were also threatened not to invest in Gujarat.

“But still investors came and there was no incentive for them,” Modi, who is on a two-day visit to his home state, said.

He said the investors came “because of good governance, fair governance, equal distribution of growth and transparent government”, Hindustan Times reported. The prime minister said while the then federal ministers told on his face that they would come, they did not cooperate in reality and created roadblocks.

Recalling his days as the leader of the summit, Modi recalled that he was advised against holding the summit in 2009 because of a global slowdown but he still went ahead with it.

“There should not be any disruption in the practice,” PM Modi said, the report added.

He said Vibrant Gujarat was never limited to Gujarat, but all states of India were invited.

“Gujarat was always known as a traders’ state. But in the 21st century, Gujarat became an agricultural, financial, industrial and manufacturing hub when the state also strengthened its trade,” the prime minister added.

Modi also visited a robot exhibition in Science City and was accompanied by the state’s governor, Acharya Devvrat, and chief minister Bhupendra Patel.

The state is gearing up for the 10th edition of the summit to be held in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, between January 10-12 next year under the theme ‘Gateway to the Future’. The last edition was held in 2019 and it was subsequently affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.