Hyderabad: A much-hyped notion of development boasted by BJP during 2014 Lok Sabha Elections has lost its clamour as it did promote growth but ‘growth with inequality.’
Real development ensures growth with equality, growth with justice. However, the Gujarat model of development has led to growth in per capita income and industrial growth, but fared poor in social indicators like poverty alleviation and Human development.
There are many problems in Gujarat- Agrarian distress, growing unemployment, an education system in shambles, increasing attacks on dalits, corruption etc.
The last three assembly elections in 2002, 2007 and 2012 had revolved around mainly three factors: the larger than life personality of Modi, the Gujarat model of development and the appeal of Hindu majoritarianism in varying forms.
Basically, there are three aspects which need to be mentioned while referring to the Gujarat model of development. They are:
(1) While Gujarat’s model of development has increased the per capita income, the highest among Indian States, it performed poor in social indicators.
(2) Narendra Modi’s decisive impact on Gujarat’s economic trajectory is doubtful because even before Modi became Chief Minister, Gujarat was faring well due to 1991 economic reforms.
(3) In the long-run, whether Gujarat model of development can deliver poverty reduction and improvement in social indicators is not conclusively proved.
The first aspect points to growth in terms of per capita income but this growth did not trickle down to the poor. The benefits of growth are not spread equally.
The second aspect emphasizes on the fact that BJP has been planking on what was not its contribution to Gujarat’s development. Though there has been an increase in the overall growth, the initiation of development was done before BJP came to power.
The third aspect clearly points the fact that, Gujarat model of development has utterly failed to uplift the masses. Its performance on social indicators is well below many states. Poverty alleviation and overall human development has been neglected.