06-01-2007, 12:18 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Modi's record </b>
The Pioneer Edit DeskÂ
Wish others would replicate
Today, on June 1, 2007, Mr Narendra Modi becomes the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat, with few of the 14 Chief Ministers who served before him, having a term in office close to his in length. It was Mr Hitendra Desai of the Indian National Congress who had served the State the longest previously, whose time in office Mr Modi has now surpassed. This longevity in office is no mean achievement, given Gujarat's peculiar political and electoral dynamics. Mr Modi has bucked the trend. It is all the more creditable for Mr Modi as he has had to face politically motivated and artificially generated damaging controversies in the aftermath of the post-Godhra violence in 2002. It is fortunate for Indian democracy that the people in the State have been able to see through the calumnies and have appreciated his work; the mud that has been thrown at him by detractors has not stuck. That Mr Modi has retained his popularity in Gujarat and is rated as a top Chief Minister by people not just in his State but across the country is no idle attainment but is based on acts and achievements which highlight his commitment to his people and to the development of Gujarat. It will be recalled that Mr Modi took charge of the Gujarat Government at a time the State was reeling from the devastation caused by the 2001 earthquake. It was his effective handling of the aftermath of the natural calamity subsequent to his becoming Chief Minister that not just led it to being hailed across the world as a model of relief effort, but also got the economy on its feet again. This early demonstration of his dynamism, single-minded determination and quick decision-making abilities is more to be seen in an area that has been the focus of his Government, that of development, for it is on this front that he has delivered most.
<b>His achievements are not merely limited to a serious reduction of the State's fiscal deficit or the taking in hand of the Gujarat State Electricity Board and providing electricity to thousands of villages. Nor are they circumscribed by his having practically eliminated the problem of water scarcity in the State or in having succeeded through dynamic policies in sustaining Gujarat's growth rate at over 10 per cent, much higher than other States. What he has, in fact, succeeded in doing is implementing a vision for the State's future, thereby giving it a policy orientation that has set it on a firm trajectory towards growth and prosperity. This can be seen across the board - in the economic policies and also in the schemes for social development, be they for the girl child, for education, for rural development or for gram sabhas. These major achievements, grudgingly acknowledged by even his worst detractors, have turned Gujarat into a model State. Therefore, Mr Modi can only be wished greater success - in Gujarat and in India. </b>
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The Pioneer Edit DeskÂ
Wish others would replicate
Today, on June 1, 2007, Mr Narendra Modi becomes the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat, with few of the 14 Chief Ministers who served before him, having a term in office close to his in length. It was Mr Hitendra Desai of the Indian National Congress who had served the State the longest previously, whose time in office Mr Modi has now surpassed. This longevity in office is no mean achievement, given Gujarat's peculiar political and electoral dynamics. Mr Modi has bucked the trend. It is all the more creditable for Mr Modi as he has had to face politically motivated and artificially generated damaging controversies in the aftermath of the post-Godhra violence in 2002. It is fortunate for Indian democracy that the people in the State have been able to see through the calumnies and have appreciated his work; the mud that has been thrown at him by detractors has not stuck. That Mr Modi has retained his popularity in Gujarat and is rated as a top Chief Minister by people not just in his State but across the country is no idle attainment but is based on acts and achievements which highlight his commitment to his people and to the development of Gujarat. It will be recalled that Mr Modi took charge of the Gujarat Government at a time the State was reeling from the devastation caused by the 2001 earthquake. It was his effective handling of the aftermath of the natural calamity subsequent to his becoming Chief Minister that not just led it to being hailed across the world as a model of relief effort, but also got the economy on its feet again. This early demonstration of his dynamism, single-minded determination and quick decision-making abilities is more to be seen in an area that has been the focus of his Government, that of development, for it is on this front that he has delivered most.
<b>His achievements are not merely limited to a serious reduction of the State's fiscal deficit or the taking in hand of the Gujarat State Electricity Board and providing electricity to thousands of villages. Nor are they circumscribed by his having practically eliminated the problem of water scarcity in the State or in having succeeded through dynamic policies in sustaining Gujarat's growth rate at over 10 per cent, much higher than other States. What he has, in fact, succeeded in doing is implementing a vision for the State's future, thereby giving it a policy orientation that has set it on a firm trajectory towards growth and prosperity. This can be seen across the board - in the economic policies and also in the schemes for social development, be they for the girl child, for education, for rural development or for gram sabhas. These major achievements, grudgingly acknowledged by even his worst detractors, have turned Gujarat into a model State. Therefore, Mr Modi can only be wished greater success - in Gujarat and in India. </b>
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