New Delhi, July 11 (IANS). BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand as strengthening India’s global economic and strategic position.
Speaking to news agency IANS, he said that the visit was not limited to bilateral relations only, but was an effort to present a strong ‘Indo-Pacific Economic Model’ to the world. At the same time, he made a scathing attack on the ongoing internal tussle in the Punjab Congress and claimed that the party will be reduced to single digit seats in the upcoming assembly elections.
Gaurav Vallabh said that this visit of Prime Minister Modi was going to establish a new model of economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreements signed with the three countries will give a new impetus to India’s trade, investment, energy, defence, agriculture and technological development in the coming years. During the Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia, wide-ranging discussions were held on important topics such as defense equipment exports, steel industry, rare earth processing and digital public infrastructure. India’s UPI and digital public infrastructure model has become the center of attraction for many countries of the world and many countries are willing to adopt it.
The BJP leader said that during his visit to Australia, special emphasis was laid on uranium and critical minerals. Today, critical minerals play an important role in battery manufacturing, semiconductor industry and high-tech manufacturing. Important discussions were also held between India and Australia on increasing import-export of these minerals, strengthening international trade and increasing cooperation in energy and education sectors. There is immense potential in these sectors in both the countries and this cooperation will benefit both the economies in future. At the same time, regarding the New Zealand tour, he said that New Zealand is among the leading countries of the world in the field of agricultural technology. There, consensus has been reached on topics like technical intervention in agriculture, service mobility and market access.
He said that under the agreement between the two countries, New Zealand companies will invest about Rs 35 thousand crore in India by 2030. This is likely to create around two lakh new jobs. This agreement will bring important opportunities for India’s economy and youth. This entire visit of Prime Minister Modi is an example of how the Indo-Pacific region can become the new center of global trade and economic development. India, together with these three countries, has presented a successful and practical model of economic cooperation to the world.
On the ongoing tussle in the Congress organization before the Punjab Assembly elections and state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel’s claim that ‘everything is normal’, Gaurav Vallabh raised questions on the working style of the Congress. He said that such situations arise when a political party becomes leaderless, policyless and determinationless. Many factions and their sub-groups are active in Congress, due to which the organization is continuously becoming weak. If Bhupesh Baghel meets one group, the other gets angry and if he tries to make both of them sit together, a third group comes to the fore. The situation of Punjab Congress has become an example of the internal weakness of the Congress in front of the entire country.
Gaurav Vallabh sarcastically said that every leader in Congress aspires to become the Chief Minister, but he should understand that to become the Chief Minister, one has to first become an MLA. Congress lacks capable candidates who can win the elections and the party’s performance in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections will be very poor. He claimed that Congress would be reduced to single digit seats in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
He said that I am saying with full responsibility that this time Congress will become a party with single digit MLAs in Punjab. After the election results are out, you will ask me the same question again. Congress MLAs will not be more than single digits.
–IANS
PSK/DKP
