Skip to main content

Modi's "famous" Gujarat model not working in Delhi: USA's top neoconservative think-tank scholar comments

Sadanand Dhume
By A Representative
America’s top business daily, “The Wall Street Journal” (WSJ), has warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Union budget that he should realize, “the famous Gujarat model is not working in Delhi”, adding, “A vast country cannot be run like a relatively homogenous state.”
In an opinion piece by a right-wing columnist based in Washington DC, Sadanand Dhume, WSJ recalls Modi’s days as Gujarat chief minister saying, “A chief minister can succeed as a hand-on manager, but a prime minister needs to set a broad policy agenda and trust his colleagues to execute it.”
Dhume is currently attached with the Washington DC-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), considered in the US as “one of the most influential pro-business right-wing think tanks” researching on public policy issues and the “country’s main bastions of neoconservatism.”
Dhume says, “Modi often slows down decisions. A chief minister can succeed as a hand-on manager, but a prime minister needs to set a broad policy agenda and trust his colleagues to execute it.”
Accusing Modi of having “frozen in his old job” of Gujarat chief minister, Dhume — who has been a strong Modi supporter — says that Modi “hasn’t grappled with the central question facing India of rolling back the role of the state in the national economy.”
He says, Modi refuses to “accept that the national media must be engaged professionally and won’t just regurgitate facts sheets and press releases”, as he is known to have done in Gujarat, adding, “Rather than hire a provisional media advisor, he treats the press with disdain.”
Pointing towards why governing India is different from Gujarat, Dhume says, “When Modi became prime minister, the challenge was to adapt the ethos that powered the Gujarat model — efficiency, ambition and business-friendliness — to the vastly more complex of running India.”
Dhume notes, the only thing in which he has succeeded in transferring the Gujarat model is his “willingness to woo investors and efforts to make doing business easier”, adding, this has helped foreign direct investment rise by 24% to $42 billion in 2015 despite global slowdown.
Yet, he says, India is different from Gujarat, as seen by what Christophe Jaffrelot, well-known political scientist at Ceri-Sciences Po in Paris, said – that “only about 1% of Gujaratis work for the government, compared to 16% in leftist-dominated Kerala.”
Titled “Mr Modi, You’re Not in Gujarat Anymore”, the WSJ article says, “Though wooing business is a fine idea, and a welcome change from the country’s recent past, the parallels with Vibrant Gujarat … as seen in the Make in India summit in Mumbai earlier this month ... revealed a problem.”
“Nearly two years after taking office, a Prime Minister famed for his administrative skills has yet to show he can run a federal government. Instead of setting a broad policy agenda and hiring the right people to execute it, he has been focused on micromanaging the day-to-day administration”, he says.
While conceding that Arun Jaitley’s budget on February 29 is an “opportunity” to show that his government stands for a “market-oriented approach to the economy”, Dhume suggests, there appear to be little signs that Modi will move in that direction.
“For now, Modi appears to believe he can run India the same way he ran Gujarat. He has centralized authority … and prefers working directly with bureaucrats rather than delegating to his Cabinet colleagues. He often runs through checklists of stalled infrastructure and industrial projects himself”, Dhume concludes.

Comments

TRENDING

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on. A soft attitude always creates strong relationships. A relationship should not depend only on spoken words. They should rely on understanding the unspoken feeling too. So w...

राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी: जल जीवन मिशन के लक्ष्य को पाने समन्वित प्रयास जरूरी

- राज कुमार सिन्हा*  जल संसाधन से जुड़ी स्थायी समिति ने वर्तमान लोकसभा सत्र में पेश रिपोर्ट में बताया है कि "नल से जल" मिशन में राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी साबित हुए हैं। जबकि देश के 11 राज्यों में शत-प्रतिशत ग्रामीणों को नल से जल आपूर्ति शुरू कर दी गई है। रिपोर्ट में समिति ने केंद्र सरकार को सिफारिश की है कि मिशन पुरा करने में राज्य सरकारों की समस्याओं पर गौर किया जाए। 

Censor Board's bullying delays 'Phule': A blow to India's democratic spirit

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  A film based on the life and legacy of Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule was expected to release today. Instead, its release has been pushed to the last week of April. The reason? Protests by self-proclaimed guardians of caste pride—certain Brahmin groups—and forced edits demanded by a thoroughly discredited Censor Board.

CASR urges immediate halt to Operation Kagaar, calls for peace talks with Maoists

By A Representative   The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), a collective of over 40 civil society organizations, has issued a press statement demanding an immediate end to "Operation Kagaar" and alleged state-led killings of Maoist rebels and indigenous people in central India. The group also called on the central government to create a conducive environment for initiating peace talks with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Maoist call for peace talks: A democratic opening amidst state repression?

By Harsh Thakor*  The readiness of the CPI (Maoist), a banned organisation, for peace talks is seen as signifying a democratic gesture that should be welcomed by all who uphold democratic values. The ongoing conflict under ‘Operation Kagaar’ in Central India represents a clash between alleged state aggression and self-defence by oppressed communities. Critics argue that the Indian government has violated constitutional principles by promoting corporate expansion in Adivasi regions under the pretext of development, endangering the lives and livelihoods of local populations.

Incarcerated for 2,424 days, Sudhir Dhawale combines Ambedkarism with Marxism

By Harsh Thakor   One of those who faced incarceration both under Congress and BJP rule, Sudhir Dhawale was arrested on June 6, 2018, one of the first six among the 16 people held in what became known as the Elgar Parishad case. After spending 2,424 days in incarceration, he became the ninth to be released from jail—alongside Rona Wilson, who walked free with him on January 24. The Bombay High Court granted them bail, citing the prolonged imprisonment without trial as a key factor. I will always remember the moments we spent together in Mumbai between 1998 and 2006, during public meetings and protests across a wide range of issues. Sudhir was unwavering in his commitment to Maoism, upholding the torch of B.R. Ambedkar, and resisting Brahmanical fascism. He sought to bridge the philosophies of Marxism and Ambedkarism. With boundless energy, he waved the banner of liberation, becoming the backbone of the revolutionary democratic centre in Mumbai and Maharashtra. He dedicated himself ...

Why crucifixion is a comprehensive message of political journey for the liberation of the oppressed

By Vijayan MJ  Passion week is that time of the year when Christians all over the world remind themselves about the sufferings, anguish, pain and the bloody crucifixion that Jesus Christ took on himself, as part of his mission of emancipating the people and establishing the kingdom of god. The crucifixion was not just a great symbolism of the personal sacrifice of one person, but it was a comprehensive messaging of a political journey for the liberation of the oppressed; one filled with struggle, militancy, celebration of life, rejection of temptations, betrayals, grief, the long-walk with the cross, crucifixion and ultimately resurrection as a symbol of victory over the oppressors and evil. 

How Mumbai University crumbles: Not just its buildings

By Rosamma Thomas*  In recent days, the news from the University of Mumbai has been far from inspiring – clumps of plaster have fallen off the ceiling at the CD Deshmukh Bhavan, and it was good fortune that no one was injured; creepy crawlies were found in the water dispenser that students use to collect drinking water, and timely warning videos circulated by vigilant students have kept people safe so far.

CPM’s evaluation of BJP reflects its political character and its reluctance to take on battle against neo-fascism

By Harsh Thakor*  A controversial debate has emerged in the revolutionary camp regarding the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s categorization of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Many Communists criticize the CPM’s reluctance to label the BJP as a fascist party and India as a fascist state. Various factors must be considered to arrive at an accurate assessment. Understanding the original meaning and historical development of fascism is essential, as well as analyzing how it manifests in the present global and national context.

Akhilesh Yadav’s boycott of Dainik Jagran: A step towards accountability or political rhetoric?

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat  Akhilesh Yadav has called for a total boycott of Dainik Jagran, a newspaper owned by the Gupta family. He also declared that the Samajwadi Party will no longer participate in any panel discussions organized by a media channel allegedly controlled by the family or relatives of the omnipresent Rajiv Shukla. Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party are well aware that Dainik Jagran has long been antagonistic to Dalit-Bahujan interests. The newspaper represents a Bania-Brahmin corporate and ideological enterprise.