Harsimrat Kaur Badal. (File Photo)
Chandigarh, May 8, 2015: Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today exposed the hollow claims of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi over the issue of Mega Food Park for Amethi by proving that it was the Congress VP who had failed to get the required clearances for the Park during UPA rule.
Castigating the Gandhi family scion for using hit and run tactics without being in possession of facts, Badal said Rahul should stop playing the politics of deception.
Urging the Congress Vice President not to try to mislead the nation, Badal said today Rahul had been exposed in parliament on the issue of Shaktiman mega food park which was slated to come up at Amethi. She said the project was approved when Congress led UPA was in power but instead of making the food project a reality, team UPA had preferred to enjoy the comforts of power and now they were shedding crocodile tears on their own failure.
Badal asked Rahul why he was sleeping on the issue despite the fact that the project was cancelled on July 11, 2014. She said as per the scheme guidelines prevalent at that time, the Mega Food Park was supposed to be operationalised within 24 months time but even work was not started on it despite the fact that it was granted several extensions. She said several extensions had been granted to initiate the land transfer exercise including till 31July, 2011, 30 April, 2012, 30 June, 2012, 30 September, 2012, 31 December, 2012, 31 March, 2013 and 30 September, 2013.
The Minister clarified that in a review meeting in June 2014 the company had submitted that without supply of gas to the project on concessional rates by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the project would not be viable. She said the ministry had already refused their request for supply of gas at concessional rates on June 18, 2013. She also said that if Rahul was a real sympathiser of Amethi, he should have taken appropriate steps at that time instead of making a hue and cry over the issue now.
It is pertinent to mention here that the issue of Gandhi's allegation was today raised by BJP member Kirit Somaiah, who said he had given a notice for privilege motion against the Congress Vice President for allegedly misleading the House on the food park issue.
Date:
Friday, May 8, 2015