08-14-2006, 07:12 AM
<!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> Excerpts from Sharad Pawar's Walk the Talk w/ Shekhar Gupta on NDTV and Indian Express:
⢠The other thing thatâs happening now is that the role of the chief minister, the role of the state government, is becoming very important in India. The partyâs future depends on how well itâs doing in the states, thatâs where it draws its strength from, isnât it?
Exactly. You see, till a particular time after Mrs Gandhi, Indira Gandhiâs, days, the union government and union centre leadership was ultimately managing the show of the country. Today it is the union of states. And union of states will ultimately decide the future of this country. I am watching this type of situation in neighbouring state
⢠In Gujarat?
Yes. I saw that the government is trying its level best to aggressively concentrate on development. Take the case of Narmada, the whole countryâs media was writing like this...
⢠...Except The Indian Express...
...Yes, I have to accept that (laughs). And all NGOs and everybody was abusing the Gujarat government. But if you go to Ahmedabad, anywhere in Gujarat, people are extremely happy. They say, here is a leader who fought for us and who ultimately succeeded.
⢠Because heâs running a good government. Which is tough to admit...
(Laughs). People of Saurashtra want water. Today for agriculture every villager wants water and the chief minister is fighting for this. Ultimately he got support from Congress also, from the state. I donât know whether he got support from outside Congress, but our party supported. People like this.
⢠Heâs willing to take tough political decisions in the interest of development?
Whosoever is willing to take tough political decisions in the interest of development, the interest of state, and his own people, might face some initial reaction but ultimately people accept this.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> Excerpts from Sharad Pawar's Walk the Talk w/ Shekhar Gupta on NDTV and Indian Express:⢠The other thing thatâs happening now is that the role of the chief minister, the role of the state government, is becoming very important in India. The partyâs future depends on how well itâs doing in the states, thatâs where it draws its strength from, isnât it?
Exactly. You see, till a particular time after Mrs Gandhi, Indira Gandhiâs, days, the union government and union centre leadership was ultimately managing the show of the country. Today it is the union of states. And union of states will ultimately decide the future of this country. I am watching this type of situation in neighbouring state
⢠In Gujarat?
Yes. I saw that the government is trying its level best to aggressively concentrate on development. Take the case of Narmada, the whole countryâs media was writing like this...
⢠...Except The Indian Express...
...Yes, I have to accept that (laughs). And all NGOs and everybody was abusing the Gujarat government. But if you go to Ahmedabad, anywhere in Gujarat, people are extremely happy. They say, here is a leader who fought for us and who ultimately succeeded.
⢠Because heâs running a good government. Which is tough to admit...
(Laughs). People of Saurashtra want water. Today for agriculture every villager wants water and the chief minister is fighting for this. Ultimately he got support from Congress also, from the state. I donât know whether he got support from outside Congress, but our party supported. People like this.
⢠Heâs willing to take tough political decisions in the interest of development?
Whosoever is willing to take tough political decisions in the interest of development, the interest of state, and his own people, might face some initial reaction but ultimately people accept this.