Why Modi magic continues

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi completes 10 years in office this year. DP Sharan visits the State to find out the reasons that have made him a near invincible player in Gujarat politics



Narendra Modi will complete a decade as Gujarat Chief Minister this November. Indeed, it has been a successful, yet arduous, journey for him. And, he remains as much a divisive figure as a unifier. Modi, the politician, continues to arouse contrasting emotions — some find a new-age 'fascist' in him, while others regard him as a modern-day Sardar Patel. Politically, this perceptional divide has widened over the years. For instance, he remains a pariah who is denied entry into certain places — from Bihar in the east to the United States in the west.

On the economic front, however, the perception is starkly opposite. The biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which the State has been hosting for the past 10 years to promote itself as the world's favoured investment destination, has turned into a Modi admiration club, with captains of the Indian industry singing paeans to him. Ratan Tata tells us eloquently how the Chief Minister delivered on his 'promise' on Nano within three days. Anil Ambani regards him as a catalyst for change. "Gujarat is to India what India is to the world," he thunders. His elder brother, Mukesh Ambani, goes a step further when he says that only Modi can banish poverty from Gujarat and deliver India itself.

The Gujarat experiment

Although the debate over Modi, the politician, continues, everyone across the political divide agrees that economically, the State of Gujarat has done incredibly well in the past 10 years. How could Modi perform such an economic miracle?

When Modi became Chief Minister, a dominant section of the pseudo-secular brigade got hyperactive, accusing him of conducting a Hindutva experiment in Gujarat. Yes, of course, Modi was busy with an experiment, but not against Muslims. It was on how to run a State. The Modi Government's immediate focus was on improving the State's infrastructure. Indeed, investment in power has paid off. So much so that Gujarat is a power-surplus State today. It is also blessed with the country's best port, Kandla, a fact put to good economic use by the State Government.

Overall, what has really made a difference is Modi's single-minded devotion to develop a favourable industrial milieu in the State. One needs to look at the manner in which Gujarat has managed to work out the sticky land acquisition issue, which the other States have tried to avoid. Ratan Tata, while attending the fifth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit held earlier this year, explained why the industry's big guns love Modi. "He does not keep you hanging. When Narendrabhai told me that he would get back to me in three days about the Nano project, he did," said Tata.

Modi has systematically removed institutional obstacles in the path of Gujarat's industrialisation. As a Delhi-based economic expert says, "Modi has simplified the process of both investment and industrialisation in the State. Once an industrial house sends a proposal, it is likely to be ready for implementation within three months. In other States, it takes a long time and a lot of vested interests get involved in the process. In Gujarat, it's all about Modi."

People power at work

A visit to Gujarat can be baffling. It's baffling because it challenges one's preconceived notion: That Gujarat behaves in a supremely partial manner on the majority-minority issue. In Ahmedabad, the discourse is altogether different, with the debating point being development-centric rather than communal. Here, the leadership aims to protect the interests of every individual, transcending the boundaries of caste, creed and religion. A reason why a Vastanavi can talk favourably about the Modi regime, even as the ulema of Uttar Pradesh continue to remain obsessed with a violence that rocked Gujarat a decade ago!

So, what's the reason behind Modi's success? There are three initiatives that appear to have helped the Chief Minister realise his dreams: One, to hold a three-day chintan shivir of political masters and bureaucrats once a year; two, to organise a swagat programme to address public grievances by instituting an on-line discussion with officials concerned through video-conferencing; and three, to ensure people's participation in the development of the State by making draft policies of the Government public much ahead of their enactment.

While the first two steps are seen as usual courses of action by the Government to bridge the gap between politicians and bureaucrats on development issues and make them aware of their collective responsibilities towards the State, it's the third step that makes the Modi Government truly distinct from other regimes. After all, the third step is in conflict with the otherwise familiar practice of governance that advocates utmost secrecy in formulating a state policy. In fact, in other States, officials concerned have to bear the wrath of their political masters in the event of any leakage of details of proposed policies before they are enacted.

"Before the enactment of a policy I display details of the draft on government websites. If the draft policy is opposed by a section of people, they show their reaction accordingly. But there can be another section of people that may support the proposed policy. As such, we elicit views of both sides before enacting the policy to ensure people's participation in the formulation of the policy," says the Chief Minister.

A Responsive Government

The Modi magic continues because the State has become more responsive to the people's needs. Take for instance the 108 service, which has brought the emergency healthcare assistance at people's doorsteps. In the event of an accident, when dialled, it sounds an alarm at the control room of Emergency Response Service and a rescue team reaches the accident site within half-an-hour. The scheme, partially funded by the Union Government, has saved more than a lakh lives in the State so far.

Modi narrates a the story of a pregnant woman who delivered her baby in the toilet of a moving train, only for the new-born to slip out through the toilet hole. When she raised an alarm, a co-passenger dialled 108. Subsequently, the rescue team reached the spot and recovered an unhurt baby lying along the railway track. "The child is still alive and the obliged parents salute the 108 service," says the Chief Minister.

The 108 service, launched in partnership with the Emergency Management and Research Institute, is one of the best examples of public-private partnership in the State. Official figures show that even during the 2002 post-Godhra violence and serial bomb blasts in Gujarat, the 108 service proved to be a major support system in handling the situation.

Learning from others

What makes Gujarat a force to reckon with is its willingness to learn from the mistakes of others. When the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system failed in Delhi, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation studied the reasons behind it. Vishal Khanama, Assistant Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, says, "Before introducing the BRT system in Ahmedabad, the State Government sent a team of officials to Delhi to study the reasons behind the failure. Subsequently, the flaws responsible for the failure of the BRT in Delhi were rectified. And, a substantially broad lane — in the middle of the road — has been earmarked for plying the BRT buses in order to avoid any disruption in movement of the general traffic."

AK Sharma, Secretary to the Chief Minister, too, emphasises the need to keep a close vigil on what others are doing. "Gujarat will reap a great benefit from the Industrial Corridors and Dedicated Freight Corridor between Delhi and Mumbai. After all, a major portion of these corridors passes through Gujarat. This spin-off benefit will help the State develop a global economic hub over an area of about 1,500 sq km under the Special Investment Regions project," Sharma says.

Nothing goes waste here

Another Gujarati asset is the ability not to let anything go waste. About 2,600 metric tonnes of garbage are collected everyday from different localities of Ahmedabad. The Government has signed an accord with different power and fertiliser companies for their sale. In order to ward off the threat of soil destruction due to dumping of waste, a landfill site has been developed over a huge area of 648 acres of land on the outskirts of the city. To begin with, a disposal cell has been created over 32.83 acres of land at the landfill site. Once the area is filled up with solid waste, there is a plan to convert it into a golf course or an amusement park.

After achieving 10 per cent growth rate in the agriculture sector — as against the 4 per cent national growth — the State is now eyeing a 15 per cent growth. Also, the multiple-phase power supply system has been designed to ensure the development of small-scale industries in rural areas. The Government is equally serious about water woes. To counter the water crisis in the State, steps have been initiated to interlink rivers and lakes under the Sujlam-Suphlam project.

So, next time you criticise Modi, board the next bus to Gujarat. You will get an instant answer. And, you will realise how little you know about the fastest-growing State in the country.