Modi signed MOU with Dow Chemicals in 2008: Congress
By IANSMonday, June 14, 2010
GANDHINAGAR - The Congress Monday hit back at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of “shedding crocodile tears” on the Bhopal gas leak tragedy when his government had inked an agreement with Dow Chemicals (formerly Union Carbide, responsible for the leak) in April 2008.
Shaktisinh Gohil, leader of the opposition in the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha, Monday released a copy of the letter dated Oct 1, 2008 in which the company had mentioned that it had signed an MOU with the state public sector, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited, in April 2008. The MOU was signed by Chief Minister Modi, he said.
Gohil said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who have launched a smear campaign against Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath would be well served by asking their own chief minister about his joining hands with Dow Chemicals. The company, in a letter addressed to then union finance minister P. Chidambaram, has said that it has signed an MOU with Gujarat and the deal would bring money to the state.
“The Gujarat chief minister who is making all sorts of statements about Bhopal in Bihar is silent about his own association with Dow. He said that BJP leaders have launched a smear campaign against Chidambaram and Kamal Nath to the effect that they had favoured Dow Chemicals. However, in its letter, Dow Chemicals has sought the centre’s help claiming that it has signed an MOU with Gujarat and the deal would bring money to that state.
“These BJP leaders should ask their own chief minister about his joining hands with Dow Chemicals,” the Congress leader added.
Gohil said that Dow Chemicals had also sought the state government’s permission to bring hazardous waste from Madhya Pradesh to Gujarat through a letter dated 8.10.2006 and permission was given to Dow for it on 4.1.2007. “It was mainly due to the efforts of NGOs and environment protection committees in the state that public awareness was created on the issue and the state government was forced to cancel the permission on Oct 4,2008.”
“This only proves that Modi is shedding crocodile tears on the Bhopal gas tragedy though in reality when the entire country was up in arms against Union Carbide, Modi and the BJP leaders were shaking hands with them,” he stated.
