Seated on the dais, all respected MLAs, Leaders of District and Taluka Panchayats, Leaders of Corporations and all young friends, mothers and sisters who have come in a large number from the district, this is the year of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Even today when the youth of the country looks at Swami Vivekananda’s photo, he feels like bowing down. There have been two great and brave men in this country, for whom the young generation, may he be wearing jeans or keeping long hair, has great respect - Swami Vivekananda and Veer Bhagat Singh - and this feeling prevails from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Friends, very few people might know here that Swami Vivekananda had come to the soil of Junagadh in 1893, stayed in Junagadh and from here, had left for Porbandar where he stayed for a long time. Junagadh has been purified by the dust of such great sage’s feet, in such a city we are celebrating the 15th August.
Ladies & Gentlemen, for us 15th August, 26th January or 1st May are nor just Govt. programs. Stereotyped flag hoisting tradition had been going on for many years. At Gandhinagar. there would be Govt. function, Govt. officers would be present, children of few schools would be present and the national festival was celebrated. Ladies & Gentlemen, we took national festivals away from Gandhinagar to districts and converted national festival into a festival of development and look at its benefit, the whole Gujarat Govt. of Gandhinagar came and sat at the feet of Junagadh, Friends, this is not a small event. Many people have written to me on Twitter, some have written on Facebook, and one person has sent an e-mail saying, “Alas, if our CM was living in Junagadh…?” He has further written that the Junagadh has been cleaned so much that now better you stay here only. Let me tell you brothers and sisters of Junagadh that we did cleaning, made it sparkling clean, now you must maintain it…! Junagadh people should decide that they would not let it become dirty now. Continue this cleaning process in coming days…! You do your work and we will do ours. We will continue making Gujarat great and we are moving ahead with this dream, we are moving with this task.
Ladies & Gentlemen, today when I was leaving from Gandhinagar, I read a very funny news in newspaper. On reaching here I enquired about it and I thought I should share this with you as well, should I…? You will forward it, won’t you? Sure? The information should not remain stuck, ok. Young men, Agreed…? Friends, today I read in news paper that during the Chief Minister’s Junagadh celebrations, meal dish worth Rs. 800 is going to be served. Well, everyone read it, didn’t you? I asked, Gentleman, there is no feast during the whole celebration, then from where the food and this dish have come? Your Collector gave me information which is very interesting. The officers from other states who have come here have to be fed, it is not a feast. The tender they have finalized is for tea-refreshments twice a day and two meals a day, at the rate of Rs. 132 per head, how much…? What is written in news papers..? 800 rupees…! Look at this. I said no, it can’t be printed without substance. Eight hundred… It is not possible that the media would print a white lie, please inquire. So it was inquired and found that today there is a program of honorable Governor, ‘at his home’. The Governor gives the invites of that program and it is organized by the Governor’s Office. Neither Narendra Modi nor the State Govt. has got anything to do with that, we just have to pay the bill. They had invited tenders, for what? Not for meals…! Not that of two meals and two snacks at the rate of 132…! They had invited tenders to provide tea and snacks for the guests attending ‘at home’, that is being held at 4:30 in the evening. And a gentleman from Junagadh had filled that tender, quoting 700 rupees. Rs. 700 for a single dish…! I would not like to announce the name of that gentleman in public. The Governor decided to wait, he thought if he finalized the Rs. 700 offer, it may bring disgrace. If in Modi’s Department, Gujarat’s BJP Govt. can provide two meals and refreshments twice in Rs. 132, how to give Rs. 700 for one dish? So they called another person for his tender and did some negotiations. It is not Rs. 800 bill, it is true that one person had quoted Rs. 700, and so perhaps reporters might have printed Rs. 800, but the bill to be paid for the refreshments that the Governor had finalized, is Rs. 250 per dish. Ladies & Gentlemen, Governor’s House of Gujarat has become Congress House, and this is the result of it. And I want to tell friends from the print media that the attempts which you make to malign Modi blindly, may entrap you sometime. You thought that Modi will be trapped in this, that he is eating Rs. 800 dish at the time of famine, those who have taken contract to finish Modi with an intention to humiliate him, such liars… it was good that the news came out, and I got the chance to explain. This is the decision of the Governor. It is unfortunate that such activities go on. We have brought down the expenses as compared to the past Governments, this is such a Government that has spent budget for development projects and as a result of which, growth is apparent in Gujarat today.
Just think once upon a time, what was the condition of ITI? No one would even look at an ITI student. And now, the value of institutes like ITI is such that six students who have studied at ITI got selected by a German company and they proved themselves in Germany. I got the chance to award them certificates. How can change be brought about, Friends? I gave certificates of Empower, Electronic Man Power here.
It is necessary for youngsters to learn computers in this era. Even a 7th passed person should know computer. We can’t afford that the poor in Gujarat lags behind and therefore we have designed the Empower program. According to the information I have, till date two lakh youngsters are taking computer training. Ladies & Gentlemen, we have initiated a campaign for development and for the employment of youth of Gujarat.
Recently Olympic Games got over; our country couldn’t do much in the Olympics. We in Gujarat have created an atmosphere through ‘Khel Mahakumbh’ and this time on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Vivekanandaji, we have tried diverting young men and women across Gujarat towards sports. Celebrating this year as ‘Youth Year’, we have tried to realize the message of Vivekanandaji. By providing sports kit to youths, we have tried to create an atmosphere wherein people in the villages play, perspire, wallow in dust of mother India and on the occasion of 15th August at Junagadh, I have got the chance to give its first kit.
Ladies & Gentlemen, there is a limit to lies. Elections come and go, everyone has temptation to come in power, others wish to come in power after BJP’s exit, and it is natural in democracy… But it does not mean you do things that disrupt the social life of Gujarat. Friends, I can’t even imagine; there is no limit to lies…! And Mothers & Sisters of Gujarat, I want to warn you against such liars. You know those offering the schemes of three for one (Ek ka Teen), they often target ladies in villages, houses and streets and say that if you give this much, you will get things three times and if you give iron it would convert into gold and they are so sweet tongued that the person gets trapped and gives away his jewels. Similar game is rampant in politics these days. Three for one… Giving a paper they promise that you would get a house. You may tell these people that if you are so genuine and want to do something, go to neighboring Diu, it’s not far… There is Congress Govt. in Diu as well as in Delhi, build atleast 5,000 houses in Diu, atleast do this much. Give 5000 houses to poor there and I myself will tell to whole of Gujarat that theirs is a good program, and they should be brought to power so that people get houses. At least do one…! And secondly, tell those distributing papers, that if there is Indian Government’s stamp or the Prime Minister’s signature on those papers, we would believe that you are going to give houses. Ladies & Gentlemen, this is fraud going on. There can’t be such fraud in public life. The way this fraud with masses is going on, it is a criminal act in a way and in coming days, those who are indulged in such activities are going to suffer in Gujarat.
Mothers & Sisters, in 2009 when they took away votes, they had said that they would remove inflation in 100 days? Say clearly, they had said about removing inflation? Was it removed..? Be alert against such liars. Mothers & Sisters, there is a need for awareness, and as the Chief Minister of the State, it becomes a part of my responsibility to reveal the truth, bring awareness, and that is why I am saying this.
Some people ask what happened to the package you had offered at the time of Sadbhavna Mission for the growth of Sorath? Ladies & Gentlemen, we are capable of providing accounts and today amongst the present masses, youngsters and mothers & sisters I want to give you these figures. In last 7 days, my ministers who came here laid foundation stones, and did inaugurations from village to village of nearly 10,000 projects amounting to Rs. 2100 crore. Ladies & Gentlemen, we have proved and shown how to do work and there is no other way than development, Friends. If we want to compete with the world, we will have to grow. Recently the Indian Govt. published figures. According to the Indian Govt. figures, if the credit for giving the highest employment goes to anybody, it is to Gujarat. 72% people get employment in Gujarat and the rest of India is in remaining 28%. What a vast difference…?
Lately I asked them a question. You Congressmen, the people who malign Gujarat, I am asking you. There is a unit of ONGC in Dahej, it is an Indian Govt.’s unit and two thousand people work there. I asked them how many boys from Gujarat are there. Hey, Delhi people, answer me before telling me to give accounts. Two thousand people work at ONGC and my Young friends, they have given jobs to only five boys of Gujarat. And here you are provoking and playing the dirty game of blocking the future of Gujarat’s youth…? One after another such activities continue to go on, Friends. Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and many others gave away their lives for the well being of this country, and what did you offer?... One minister did a scam of Rs. 1, 76, 000 crore, no news except scams comes from Delhi, no information about good work comes from there. Gentlemen, the poor’s share is being looted, and such activities keep going on.
Recently an official advertisement of Indian Government was published in newspapers, a sheer lie, lies one after another. And ladies & gentlemen, such lies are going to increase in the coming days. Lots of effort will be made to bring disgrace to Gujarat’s prestige in the coming days. Reason why I narrated the story about the Rs. 800 dish in so much detail is that henceforth whatever you may read, think about it that it could be yet a new lie…!
Ladies & Gentlemen, as we have gathered here on the occasion of Independence Day, the work of ‘Sakhi Mandal’ is going on in full swing. Now nearly 2.25 lakh Sakhi Mandals have been formed and they are doing a business of nearly Rs. 1600 crores and in future, I want to take this turnover to Rs. 5000 crore. We want to begin new work on the coastline of Junagadh district - farming of sea-weeds. Yesterday I explained it in detail during ‘Sagar Khedu’ program. The Best quality vegetation grows in salty water of sea, whose demand is in the whole world. It is the most useful for making medicines. Our poor ladies living near the coastal area can do this farming very easily. And situation is such that companies from all over the world shall come to your door step to pick up this crop. The State Govt. has launched a big campaign so that these coastal ladies can earn their living. My poor sisters shall benefit from this through the Sakhi Mandals, this Government has undertaken such a campaign so that despair never enters their lives.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I took a decision at the Assembly so that ladies are empowered and strong. We decided that there are 50% men and 50% women in the society, so why should there not be 50% ladies in the Panchayat, Municipality and Municipal Corporation? Shouldn’t it be so? Say loudly ladies, I am fighting for you. We made a resolution in the Assembly that there would be 50% reservation for women at Taluka Pnchayat, District Panchayat, Gram Panchayat, Municipality and Municipal Corporation. Unfortunately our Governor did not sign on this resolution and left it pending, it has been pending for a year. This does not suit our democracy. Inspite of a woman Governor, such anti-Gujarat and anti-women activity continues. We are the people who respect and honor the post of the Governor, but if Governor’s House becomes a den for political tricks, citizens of Gujarat will not tolerate it and the Gujarat Govt. is determined to fight against it. Ladies & Gentlemen, time has come to express our anger against such activities.
Young Friends, this Government is working for your future, it is working so that you can get jobs and so that your lives do not remain dependent any more. Today the other Governments and States of India are sinking. Only Gujarat…! Recently you might have seen black out, 19 States and 60 crore countrymen were engulfed in the darkness. Hospitals, trains, clinics were closed, no light in the houses, no TV, nothing… In this 21st century, it was only Gujarat where lights did not go off. Friends, Gujarat has done this.
In this convention, remembering Swami Vivekananda, I have a request for you youngsters - you may be studying B.A., B.Com., B.Sc. or any other subject, but you should spare one or two hours per week and do some skill development course, it will be very useful in your life. This State Govt. has begun a big campaign for skill development. My Gujarat’s young boys and girls should focus on skill development as only then, we can win the battle against China. If we want to take India ahead of China, we will have to enhance skill development of our youth power, they should have good talent. I do not want to see the youth of Gujarat moving around just with certificates. I want to give them opportunities and it is my request that you youth should grab this opportunity.
Ladies & Gentlemen, today evening we are going to watch a program on our country’s freedom and honor of Junagadh in public function. And tomorrow we are going to see dignity and power of Gujarat during the flag hoisting ceremony and I am here with you. I am very thankful to you for the honor and respect you’ve given me by coming here in such a large number.
Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat….!!
Vande Mataram….!!
With full force, young men,
Vande Mataram….!! Vande Mataram….!! Vande Mataram….!!
