Ahmedabad, Sep 14: Six years after he was denied an American visa in the wake of the post-Godhra riots, a US Congressional report has praised Narendra Modi for good governance, prompting the chief minister to say this was another recognition for six crore Gujratis of the state.
“Another recognition for 6 crore Gujaratis. US report hails Guj's effective governance,” Modi tweeted after US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report showered praise on him and said that the state has become a key driver of national economic growth under his stewardship.
“Jay Jay Garvi Guj (Hail, Hail Gujarat),” Modi further said in his tweet.
“Perhaps India's best example of effective governance and impressive development is found in Gujarat, where controversial Chief Minister Narendra Modi has streamlined economic processes, removing red tape and curtailing corruption in ways that have made the state a key driver of national economic growth,” said the CRS report.
“Seeking to overcome the taint of his alleged complicity in 2002 riots, Modi has overseen heavy investment in modern roads and power infrastructure, and annual growth of more than 11 per cent in recent years,” it said.
In May 2005, Modi was denied visa by the US after the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
An independent and bipartisan wing of the US Congress, the CRS prepares periodic reports on issues of interest to the US lawmakers.
“Seeking to overcome the taint of his alleged complicity in 2002 riots, Modi has overseen heavy investment in modern roads and power infrastructure, and annual growth of more than 11 per cent in recent years,” the CRS said.
Gujarat, the CRS said, has attracted major international investors such as General Motors and Mitsubishi and with only five per cent of the country's population, the state now accounts for more than one-fifth of India's exports, it said.
In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said it was not essential for a political party to react to every report which a think tank ostensibly purports to publish. PTI
