PM Modi once again re-inaugurates a project already launched by Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Rajasthan to launch work commencement of the Barmer refinery four years after the project was actually launched by the then Congress president and chairperson of the UPA, Sonia Gandhi.

She along with former Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of Corporate Affairs and Minister of Power Veerappa Moily and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had laid down the foundation of the refinery on September 22, 2013.

The Congress last week had severely criticised the state government for re-laying the foundation stone of the refinery. Former chief minister of Rajasthan and senior Congress leader, Ashok Gehlot had shot off two letters to the Prime Minister after his visit for the project launch was announced demanding cancellation of foundation laying ceremony.

On the pretext of reviewing the project, the BJP government had halted it to score political mileage, he alleged. In April 2017, Raje government inked a fresh MoU with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

Due to delay in the project, total cost of the refinery increased. As per an estimate, it was ₹37 thousand crore in 2013 while it rose by ₹6000 crores to ₹ 43 thousand crore in 2017.

On top of that, as per the MOU state government will not have more than 26 per cent of the shares in the refinery.

Boasting of the project as many of the ‘firsts’ in the country, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted:

The Congress has alleged that it is violation of model code of conduct as well, as date of the byelections for two Lok Sabha seats and for one assembly seat has already been announced.