Ex-Gujarat CM Suresh Mehta launches ‘non-political’ platform to spread awareness among voters on various issues
Ahmedabad, August 16
Former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta on Wednesday announced the launch of a “non-political” platform as an attempt to present an alternative narrative and spread awareness among voters about different issues.
As part of the initiative, named as ‘Jan Abhiyan – Badle Gujarat’, a research and training institute will also be opened to train elected representatives on various aspects related to their roles, responsibilities and powers, said 87-year-old Mehta, who was the CM of Gujarat between 1995-1996.
Addressing a press conference here, Mehta, a strong critic of the ruling BJP, accused the Gujarat Government of violating the constitutional provisions related to keeping and publishing accounts.
As per the Article 150 of the Constitution, the accounts shall be kept in a prescribed format approved by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), he said.
“However, the CAG, in its reports tabled in the last Assembly session, noted that the Gujarat Government was not keeping its accounts as per the prescribed format, which is a violation of Article 150. Moreover, the CAG also took serious note of various sub-heads created in the accounts to manage the expenses incurred by the state to welcome VVIPs,” claimed Mehta.
“Gujarat is facing many burning issues, such as shortage of teachers, corruption, atrocities on people, malnutrition among children, inflation and rising tensions among people of different faiths,” he further claimed.
“To make people aware about such issues and bring about a change in this situation, concerned citizens like me are launching this initiative,” Mehta said.
To discuss the roadmap of the non-political initiative led by him, Mehta has called a meeting of all like-minded people at the Tagore Hall here on Thursday.
“To create an organised structure of this initiative, we will open an office in the city and also start a research and training institute to train common citizens as well as elected representatives on their roles, responsibilities and powers. This platform is being created to make people aware so that they do not get misled by false promises,” Mehta said.
Social activist Mallika Sarabhai, who was also present at the press conference, extended support to the initiative, claiming that despite witnessing misery and hardships all around them, the voters of Gujarat are either scared or not interested in bringing about a change.
“When I was in the United States recently, people asked me why Gujarat is in deep slumber. I did not have any answer,” she said.
“Every section of society is suffering in Gujarat, but no one is raising the voice,” Sarabhai claimed.
Voters do not understand their own powers. So, this is an attempt to educate the voters. This is a first step to spread awareness among the masses, she said.
