Author: Uday Mahurkar
Publication: India Today
Date: December 29, 2003
URL: http://www.indiatoday.com/itoday/20031229/state.shtml
Introduction: Modi's image as a
good administrator gets distorted between the cries of hatred of his opponents
and the eulogies of his supporters. It's not easy to decipher the Gujarat
chief minister.
Die-hard followers of Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi laud him for zealously championing what
they call the Hindutva cause. Muslims, secularists and many others love
to hate him for his "ruthless silence" when bloody riots scarred the state
last year.
So, it was no surprise when the
Supreme Court pulled up Modi's Government last month for what it said was
its failure to give justice to the riot victims-it was the second time
in two months that the apex court lashed out at the Modi Government on
the same issue. Yet, he drew large crowds as a star campaigner for the
BJP in the recent assembly polls. Modi as a good administrator invariably
got sunk either in the cries of hatred or in the euphoric calls of admiration.
The real Modi could stand up but remained inconspicuous, shadowed by the
politician in him.
A close scrutiny of his performance
as chief minister reveals an unknown Modi-determined and tough-a man who
has injected new life into a morose administration through transparency
in financial dealings, vision and commitment to development. He is apparently
on his way to setting a model for good governance, running the Government
with the smallest cabinet in the country comprising 14 ministers.
Modi became chief minister in October
2001 replacing Keshubhai Patel. He was reelected in December 2002. In two
years, he has brought down the state's annual revenue deficit to around
Rs 2,500 crore from whopping Rs 6,700 crore through cost cutting and better
financial management. He hiked user charges in areas such as education
and irrigation, brought the ailing public-sector units like the Gujarat
Alkalies and Chemical Ltd out of the red and implemented restructuring
braving opposition. His style is clearly a big departure from that of his
immediate predecessors: the difference is visible in almost all the crucial
sectors, right from education to energy, oil and gas.
He has also weeded out the "rule"
of the middlemen who used to call the shots in Gandhinagar. Says Professor
Ravindra Dholakia of IIM, Ahmedabad, "Modi has focused on areas that are
going to spur development, from gas and ports to water, bio- technology
and tourism. He is also paying proper attention to education and agriculture."
Modi worked wonders at the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB), till recently
a den of corruption, by reducing its losses by over Rs 1,000 crore in just
a year through steps ranging from checking power theft, slashing the agriculture
subsidy to renegotiating old power purchase agreements. Says Power Minister
Saurabh Patel: "Looking at the harsh and non-populist measures I have taken
to improve the GEB's health, any other chief minister would have thrown
me out."
The Transport Department, held by
Modi's favourite Amit Shah who is also the home minister, has registered
a rise in revenue of around Rs 230 crore from a year ago. Shah has overhauled
the State Intelligence Bureau (sib) as well. Besides, he transformed the
state Anti-Corruption Bureau from a toothless body into an agency to curb
corruption.
What actually won Modi accolades
from corporate heavyweights and economists was his mission to turn Gujarat
into the "Petro Capital of India" by implementing a gas network for industrial
and domestic use to reduce the state's dependence on coal and power. Within
a year, vehicles in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Gandhinagar are expected
to run on CNG. By April, gas will be available for domestic as well industrial
use in Vadodara and by the beginning of 2005 in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat,
Surendranagar and Vapi, thanks to a Rs 3,500 crore gas transmission pipeline
being laid by the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation in collaboration
with some private industrial houses. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's
Meet organised by the Modi Government attracted investment proposals worth
Rs 56,000 crore.
Says Pradip Shah, a reputed fund
adviser: "When it comes to development priorities Modi's mathematics is
absolutely in place." The Government has also taken several steps to curb
graft within the bureaucracy and sectors such as education. And, Modi has
been called a chief minister who is both financially transparent and dynamic.
For many industrialists, Modi is more a CEO of a successful company than
a politician. However, a section of senior BJP leaders is sullen because
Modi is not known to dole out undue favours for his partymen. The chief
minister faces the charge that he doesn't believe in collective decision-making.
Modi has also been accused of being autocratic in his functioning.
His arch rival Keshubhai is reportedly
trying to capitalise on this disgruntlement by mobilising unhappy elements
within the party. But with his high public approval ratings, Modi appears
to be on a firm political wicket despite the intra-party wrangle.