Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today accused Congress of shedding crocodile tears for farmers' problems, saying if the party had interests of farmers in its heart, it would have given a speedy approval to the additional construction at the Narmada Dam project.
Patel was speaking at a function at Modasa in Arravali district where she inaugurated 11th Krishi Mohatsav of the state government.
"If it (Congress-led UPA government) had interest of farmers in its heart, it would have given approval for the Narmada Dam project in 2007 itself," Patel said.
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"But it did not do that. Otherwise the construction of the dam would have been complete by now, and the farmers of Gujarat would have started receiving benefits of irrigation," Patel told a huge gathering of farmers.
Only after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre the further construction, to raise the height of the dam from 121.92 meters to 138 meters, was approved, and it would take three years to complete it, she said.
Patel assured the farmers that her government would not take away their lands forcibly, and the acquisition would be only for the good cause of development.
In the annual Krishi Mahotsav, officials and experts go to villages and tell farmers about new techniques of farming before the sowing season starts.
"It was due to the Krishi Mahotsav that agricultural growth rate has reached a double digit in Gujarat," Patel claimed.
The state government planned to give special attention to organic farming and drip irrigation to increase the yield, Patel added.
