President Luiz Inácio da Silva (PT) criticized this Wednesday (25) the absence of the governor of , (Republicans), at the launch event of the Chinese CRRC train factory in (273 km from São Paulo).
Alongside ministers from his administration and representatives of the Chinese manufacturer, the president said, without mentioning the governor’s name, that he regretted that Tarcísio did not go to the event, stating that the head of the São Paulo government could say whatever he wanted at the event, considered relevant because it was linked to the manufacture of trains for the São Paulo subway.
is the largest manufacturer of railway supplies in the world and, in addition to the factory presented this Wednesday in the interior of the state, is present in metro rail projects in São Paulo. It won a billion-dollar competition from the São Paulo Metro and is in the TIC () consortium, which will connect the capital to Campinas with a medium-speed train.
“I deeply regret that the governor is not here. I’m sorry. He could say whatever he wanted. To thank or not to thank, because it is an investment of almost R$7 billion for São Paulo, to generate jobs, to bring technology, to bring modernity, including to serve São Paulo’s trains”, said the president.
Lula also stated that the works being carried out in São Paulo have resources from the federal government, but that the state government does not publicly recognize.
“O, half of it belongs to the federal government, and I do it with pleasure, because I lived in Vicente de Carvalho, there, on the border with Guarujá. It’s a lot, a lot of disgrace, there’s a lot of stilt buildings and a lot of traffic. So the federal government has an obligation to put money into that tunnel, we’re not doing you any favors, it’s the federal government’s obligation. I just wanted the state government to recognize ‘look, this isn’t just mine, it’s half mine and half Lula’s’. In addition to Lula giving half, the We also give half of it, because we finance it”, he said.
The government sent an invitation at short notice to a representative of the state administration to participate in the event.
The president also said that, after the truth is told, he could be criticized. “After you tell the truth, you can tease me […] What is not possible is for this country [ser] built on the basis of lies.”
The company will build the capital’s metro trains at the site, with delivery expected from next year.
At the event, BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) financing contracts were signed with the São Paulo government totaling R$5.6 billion. Of the total, R$3.2 billion will be used for the Intercidades Train between São Paulo and Campinas and the other R$2.4 billion will be used to expand Line 2 of the capital’s metro.
Also without mentioning the name of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Lula criticized the former president for what he called accusations made during the electoral campaign involving the BNDES, which is financing the railway projects.
“I don’t know if you remember that thing that governed Brazil. That thing that governed Brazil [dizia]: ‘I’m going to open the BNDES black box, because I’m going to see the black box, because I’m going to get the BNDES black box’. He spoke for an entire year, raising suspicions that there was corruption at BNDES. However, he won the elections, took office, the people who worked with him, who understood, said ‘oh, man, stop talking nonsense’ […] What they wanted, in fact, was to destroy the BNDES’ investment capacity”, said the PT member.
Before concluding his speech of around 20 minutes, the president said that in this election year the “truth will have to defeat the lie.” “This is this year’s dispute. It’s not Corinthians and Palmeiras, it’s not São Paulo and Santos, it’s not China and the United States, this year the dispute is between truth and lies. Who did it and who didn’t.”
In addition to participating in the event at the train factory in Araraquara, Lula will have two agendas this Wednesday afternoon in São Carlos (232 km from São Paulo).
First, he will participate in the inauguration of new areas of the UFSCar University Hospital (Federal University of São Carlos) and, later, he will visit the .
During the morning, Lula had already participated in Gavião Peixoto in the official presentation of the Saab Gripen E model produced in Brazil, almost three years after the inauguration of its joint production line between the Swedish manufacturer and its local partner, .
