Patna,
Jan 19 (IANS) If there's one person who is not too enthused
about the Global Meet for Resurgent Bihar, it is Railway
Minister and former chief minister Lalu Prasad.
The
much-hyped meet - which begins Friday and will see 500
participants including NRIs - aims at changing the image
of the state and wooing investors. But Lalu Prasad described
the meet as "Sab golmaal hai" (Not everything's
right with it).
"I
welcome the meet but I doubt if it will help Bihar in
any way. It is nothing but a repetition of what I organised
during my tenure as chief minister," Lalu Prasad
told IANS here.
He
said he organised a big NRI meet in Patna in 1995 to
attract investment in the state. "It was a mega
event but the net result was zero as no NRI investors
came forward.
"Look,
such a meet is only for big announcements as was the
case in 1995. Nothing materialised, I experienced this
harsh reality," Lalu Prasad said.
President
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam inaugurated the three-day meet. Nearly
500 people, including NRIs, economists, technocrats
and investors from around the world, are participating.
The
government wants to discuss development strategies and
attract foreign investment in agriculture, health, IT
and tourism. Bihartimes.com, a Patna-based news portal,
and the New Delhi-based Institute of Human Development
have organized the meet with the support of the state
government.