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23 August 2005
The Times of India
Brothers in Arms
(Editorial)
Why Advani Thinks Modi is an outstanding
CM
BJP president L K
Advani says Narendra Modi is the party’s best chief minister. He has
showered praise on Modi for overseeing development in Gujarat. Beyond
the obvious political over tones in praising Modi when he is under siege
from within the state unit, Advani’s remarks reflect a tendency to see
governance merely in terms of economic indices. When a Rajiv Gandhi
Foundation (RGF) survey rated Gujarat as No 1 for economic freedom, Modi
and his party interpreted it as applause for the state government. For
a short while, the Congress too fell for Modi’s game and even censured
the RGF. Both the Congress and the BJP missed the point that data used
for the ranking was pre-2001, that is before Modi gained office. That
apart, the parties concerned failed to recognise that the concept of
economic freedom doesn’t bother much about individual freedoms but
instead focuses on how business-friendly a government is. This
obviously suits the core constituency of the BJP. But what is
governance if it fails to safeguard individual freedoms? The Modi
administration has the dubious distinction of being rapped on the
knuckles repeatedly by the Supreme Court for derailing justice in riot
cases. There is evidence pointing to the collaboration of the
administration in subverting investigation. Gujarat under Modi has done
well to attract investment. But what’s new about it? Gujarat has
always been so. However, this access to capital and the apparent
industrial well-being have not helped the state to address issues like a
skewed sex ration low levels of literacy and falling standards in
primary health. Why then Advani’s pat for Modi?
Individual freedoms
ought to be central to the idea of governance. The right to faith,
justice, food, education, employment, and of course to own property and
do business has to be part of a holistic idea of governance. Economic
indices need not necessarily reflect the state of these rights in a
polity. A state can bean economic powerhouse but fail its citizens.
Gujarat is a prime example of such an anomaly. If development does not
encompass all sections of the society, it will result in the disruption
of social peace. The politics of exclusion will widen this divide. It
will further not just the discontent in a society but also erode
institutions. Advani and Modi could well believe that bad politics can
be compensated for with good economics. They are wrong; the two go
together.
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