Gujarat model lags behind developed states: Chidambaram
Union minister P Chidambaram on Sunday said the BJP’s much-touted “Gujarat model” of development is flawed if one compares the human development indicators, it lags behind developed states.
“I have compared the indica- tors, including literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality, per capita and total capital social expenditure and found that Guj- arat lags behind developed states such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnatka,” he said.
Addressing seminar on ‘Indira Gandhi a visionary warrior’ organised on the occasion of the centenary celebration of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he said the data is irrefutable and that show the poor are not in the centre of development but on the edge, unlike the development model espoused by Indira Gandhi.
“It is unfortunate that the Centre is not celebrating her centenary but I assure that 100 year later, the Congress will celebrate the 200th anniversary. Her name will live forever,” he said.
Appreciating Indira Gandhi’s development model, he said, “Indira believed that any policy or program must promote the welfare of the poor. She altered the party agenda of providing the poor with education, roads, health care services, jobs and that by itself gave a push to development.”
“Empowering the poor will give thrust to development.”
He further said that even today Indira Gandhi’s model of poor being in the centre of the agenda exists.
“Congress president and vice president model continue to insist and the policies we make
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are poor- centric and this is the contribution of Indira (Gandhi).”
Chidambaram said Indira Gandhi was the first leader, who spoke on the climate change at Stockholm conference in 1972.
“She put India on space map by setting up the Indian Space Research Organisation and was a visionary, who turned the country into a nuclear power.”
Earlier in his inaugural address, state Congress chief Sachin Pilot said Indira Gandhi was a visionary and charismatic leader.
Even her opponents acknowledged her courage.