RESEARCH

Those who want him in haste will regret their wish in leisure [This view was revised subsequently following further study of the  Gujarat model; view the author's comments at the end of the article.] It's now an undeniable fact that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi favours a handful of industrialists at the expense of other bidders. By making business smooth for them, the areas where they operate shine in the short-term. Then complaints of unfair competition start pouring in.  Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2013 This can no longer be pooh-poohed as a politically motivated speculation. How Modi bent the rules for a handful of cronies is now a part of the report by the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India on Gujarat. "Gujarat State Petronet Ltd (GSPL) was responsible for deviating from the agreed terms of recovery of gas transportation charges from the specified entry point of the company's pipeline network and this led to passing of un...

Akshay Marathe and Mayank Gandhi Raising hope or fear? T he Gujarat growth model, being marketed by Narendra Modi is being seen by the middle class as a solution to all the problems of the nation. We intend to understand its strengths and weaknesses and indicate a constructive alternative model of growth. This article is Part 1 of a three part series on Narendra Modi’s Gujarat model. While it cannot be denied that Gujarat has seen growth in terms of water, electricity and good roads, there are some aspects of growth that need to be analysed. One of the argument for the Modi growth model is the legitimacy it gets due to 3 consecutive electoral victories. Congress has been ruling India for 60 years, CPM had been ruling WB for over 30 years, Lalu had won 3 terms. We do not subscribe to electoral success begetting good governance. Historical perspective Gujarat has seen high growth rates for the last 20 years, even before Modi came into the picture...

Response to Sanjeev Sablok's inquiry into my allegations against Bharat Swabhiman, and explaining why I am a member of the Aam Aadmi Party [Click on the post title to go to the blog that necessitated this article] A s a careful reading of my tweets will show, the allegations are relayed, not mine, though the Bharat Swabhiman’s hesitation to launch an all-out movement against government’s corruption was witnessed firsthand. For want of space on Twitter, I couldn’t name the persons making the allegations. The friend referred to there is Chandra Vikash, who was once my batchmate in Holy Cross School, Bokaro Steel City (then in Bihar, now in Jharkhand), between the grades VI and X [We cleared Class X in the year 1987]. Disturbed as much as I was by rampant, all-pervading corruption, Vikash had moved to Delhi, leaving his well-paid job as an engineering consultant in Bangalore because he thought the national capital was the epicentre of corruption and here was where he co...