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Madhya Pradesh CM for boosting UAE ties

The minister, who was in town recently to attend the inauguration of the Indian Village being held during the Sharjah Ramadan Festival, expressed his appreciation at the world class facilities that the UAE offers to its residents.

"I am quite impressed with the facilities that are on offer in the UAE and am happy that the Sharjah government has taken this step to further the relations between the two countries," said the minister. "The opening of this village is the first of a long series of steps that we will be taking in the near future in order to enhance the ties between the two countries," he added.

Gaur, who is one of the senior most MLAs in the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), took up his post quite recently when Uma Bharati was forced to resign as CM after a Hubli court ordered her arrest.

When asked about his present tenure and the problems he faced in his new role, Gaur replied that he was elected by the consensus of his party and would uphold the principles of his party members.

"The party has decided for me to work for my people in MP and I'm not facing any obstacles from anywhere," he said.

On the question of voices of dissent emerging from the party itself on the matters of his nomination, he said: "Ours is a democratic party and although there may be differing opinions, the party still stays united on all issues. All this talk of factionalism within the BJP in MP has no worth at all."

Uma Bharati had earlier announced that she would be retiring from politics but would keep a close watch on MP's development issues and provide a "support system" from outside.

"Uma has a right to believe in her views and is undertaking a lot of awareness programmes. So far, there have been no interference from her side but she does have a right to look at the state's development plans. She is our colleague and she can definitely advice us from time to time and if her advice is right, we will take it," he said.

Gaur also expressed his optimism of the growing trade relations between the UAE and India. "We want joint trade relations between Madhya Pradesh and the UAE and are looking forward to a growing partnership," he said.

In his earlier capacity as Local Self Government and Urban Administration, the minister was well-known on cracking down on encroachers and in keeping his state neat and clean. Most recently, he was in the news for cracking down on corrupt people in the state who had pilfered funds by evading sales tax on items such as petrol and diesel.

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