Ahmedabad: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on May 11 expressed optimism that India would shed its tag of "developing nation" by 2020 and emerge as a "developed" country.

"We shall strive to create conducive atmosphere in order to be self-reliant in all sectors and India will be known as developed country and not a developing one by 2020," Advani said after laying the foundation stone for expansion project of Mother Dairy plant at Bhat village, near Ahmedabad.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the country is currently facing a problem of "surplus" in food grains, which could be solved only through exports.

"If the 20th century belonged to the West, 21st century will be ours," he asserted.

Advani also called upon the Congress to work in tandem with the Central government to realise this dream.

Referring to the Mother Dairy and Amul, Advani said, "people earlier visited Bangalore as an Information Technology destination and now the name of Amul is spreading fast and foreigners will start visiting the plant."

"All the credit for this achievement goes to farmers and the co-operative movement here," he added.

Even Russians, who had visited the Mother Dairy plant had taken a note of its modernised plant.

Before laying the foundation stone, Advani went around the plant and showed keen interest in production of milk products and even interacted with the employees there.

Quoting the example of a recent "front page article" of Amul in a newspaper, he even urged the media to portray "something positive".

PTI