BJP state spokesperson Pratul Shahdev has targeted Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's Europe tour. He said, this is being done only for camera exposure and sightseeing. This entire tour is an unnecessary investment of taxpayers' money. In reality, he is visiting Spain and Sweden for the purpose of tourism. 13 crore tourists came to visit Sweden and Spain in the year 2024. The Chief Minister is going to increase this number this year with his team.
Pratul said that Jharkhand is a state with a mining and agriculture-based economy. About 15% of India's GDP comes from agriculture. A large population of Jharkhand along with the country is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for employment. Pratul said that while only 2.5% of Spain's GDP comes from agriculture and only 1.7% of Sweden's GDP is based on agriculture. In the agricultural sector, Jharkhand and India are far ahead of these countries. Pratul said that Jharkhand has a large number of coal mines, iron ore mines, bauxite mines. Investment in mining and agriculture sector is very important for the state. India's mining technology is much more advanced than that of Spain and Sweden.
There is no great history of mining in these two countries. Pratul said that no big investment or technology transfer can be expected from these countries in the mining sector. Pratul said that Spain and Sweden are focusing on overcoming the problem of severe recession after the imposition of 20% tariff by America. The main basis of Spain's economy is tourism and service sector. Till the time the law and order of Jharkhand does not improve, the number of tourists cannot increase. The Chief Minister should have first paid attention to the law and order of his state. Pratul said that the unemployment of youth below 25 years of age in Spain is 28.4%. 12000 units of industrial units in Spain have either closed down or are moving towards closure. In such a situation, will the Spanish industries first save their home or invest in Jharkhand? *Pratul said that Spain's 'La Tomatina' (Tomato Festival), 'Fiesta de San Fermin' (Bull Chase) and 'La Liga' (Spanish Football League) are very famous among tourists. Perhaps the Chief Minister also likes all three.*
Pratul said that the situation in Sweden has become even worse. In 2023, Sweden's GDP decreased from .7% to 1.2%. There has been a huge decline in housing construction there. According to the report of the prestigious organization Eurofound, the number of unemployed youth under the age of 25 in Sweden in 2024 is 23.8%. Thousands of industrial units in Sweden became sick in the recession of 2023. The focus of the Swedish government is on saving them. At present, external investment is not a priority.
Pratul said that a surprising aspect of this tour is that the Industry Minister is missing from this delegation that went for industrial investment. Pratul said that this is the same situation where the entire baraat left but the groom was left at home. Not taking the industry minister along makes it clear that this is just a tourist trip. It has nothing to do with bringing investment.
Pratul said that the CM should definitely go to Stockholm in Sweden where Bofors has its headquarters. He will also learn a lot from the working methods of that office about how the path of corruption can be smooth. After all, his ally Congress had committed the biggest Bofors scam in the history of the country in association with this company.
Pratul said that there is still a possibility that the CM will come back after getting photographed with the representatives of local companies in Spain and Sweden. There will also be a drama of signing the MoU for a big investment and after that the delegation will return to the country. Everything will be forgotten in a few days. But the purpose of tourism will be achieved.