Gujarat energy, petroleum, mines, minerals and aviation minister Saurabh Patel is in the eye of a political storm for his links with India Inc?s most powerful family, the Ambanis. Credited as one of the main architects of the ?Gujarat model of development?, Patel is among the most trusted aides of chief minister and BJP?s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. In an interview with Jyotsna Bhatnagar, Patel replies to the Opposition?s charges. Excerpts:

One of the main charges that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has levelled against the Narendra Modi government is that Reliance has benefited due to your relations with the Ambani family.

I find this allegation absurd. First and foremost, Kejriwal should do his homework because he clearly does not know that gas is a Central subject. Everything, from formulation of policies to laying of gas grids, falls under the purview of the Centre. In my 12 years as minister in the Gujarat government, I challenge him to tell me in what ways any direct benefit has accrued to Reliance. Further, I would like to educate Kejriwal that the KG basin is located 1,500 km away, on the Andhra Pradesh coastline, and any local assistance for execution of the project has come from the AP government and not the Gujarat government.

Also, Reliance does not have a single commercial power project in Gujarat. Not only that, it does not even buy power from the state government as it produces its own electricity for its captive consumption at the Jamnagar refinery which, incidentally, was established many years ago in a deregulated area when I was nowhere on the political scene.

I would also like to enlighten Kejriwal that it is the Gujarat government that took up cudgels on behalf of gas pricing, which was skewed in favour of Delhi and Mumbai. We fought the central government and, it is because of the intervention of the Gujarat high court and Supreme Court that today there is uniform gas pricing.

What do you have to say about land acquisition, especially in the wake of farmers? protests against planned Special Investment Regions (SIRs) in Gujarat?

Gujarat is the first state in the country to go by a consent policy. I challenge the Opposition to show me one piece of land that has been acquired at ?jantri? rates for industrial purposes and that too without consent. GIDC has given only market rates ? and higher than market rates in many cases ? for its land bank for industries. The fact that activists like Medha Patkar and Kanu Kalsariya have jumped into the political arena on the eve of the elections just shows that they are choosing an easy populist way and fomenting dissent for political ends. If out of 100 farmers, 90 are happy with the acquisition policy, I count that as vote of confidence in favour of our policy.

According to Kejriwal, there is hardly any development in rural Gujarat…

Anyone who comes to Gujarat is impressed by the state?s development. Recently, Kejriwal landed in Ahmedabad and, thereafter, went to Kutch, 400 km away, via Radhanpur. He held several meetings too along the way. Show me any other state in India where you can travel 400 km in a day holding several meetings enroute. If this is not development, what is? You can feel the development in Gujarat even with your eyes shut.

It is also being alleged that power is most expensive in Gujarat…

All I can say is that even after the recent discounts in electricity rates announced by the Delhi and Maharashtra governments, electricity in Gujarat is cheaper, which goes to show that power here is better managed and there is more efficiency. This is in spite of the fact that fuel costs are significantly higher here as coal sources are distant and most of our power stations are working on imported LNG.