Rahul Gandhi, the Congress’ undeclared nominee for the office of Prime Minister, has been constantly mocking at the Gujarat model of development and also asserting that the Gujarat model cannot be applied to other parts of the country.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul’s mother and president of the Congress and his sister Priyanka Vadra have also been ridiculing the Gujarat model and shooting barbs at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial nominee.
Over the last decade, Modi has focused on many areas of development including electricity generation and distribution, infrastructure development, non-conventional energy sources etc. Every home in Gujarat is assured of 24 X 7 electricity supply and this has had a positive impact on children’s education and domestic industries. There has also been a marked improvement in the quality of roads, schools and hospitals. Gujarat was also one of the early States to launch the emergency ambulance service that ensures immediate and quality first aid to citizens across the State.
Instead of acknowledging the good work of the Gujarat Government in all these sectors, the Gandhis have been launching a shrill attack on Modi and have desperately tried to run down his achievements. This has prompted people to ask: What is the Amethi model of developmentIJ
This writer has visited Amethi and Raebareli on several occasions since 1984. Thirty years ago Amethi was as backward as Mandya or Anantapur and therefore one could say that its development or non-development was at par with districts in other States which were at some distance from the State Capital. However, over the last three decades many Indian States have witnessed substantial development and the once backward districts are now flourishing business and agricultural centres with top class infrastructure, roads, hospitals and round-the-clock electricity. But poor, poor Amethi, which has been represented almost continuously by the Nehru-Gandhis for over 30 years, finds itself left behind.
So, while Rahul Gandhi pooh-poohs the Gujarat model, what is the Amethi model of developmentIJ Here is a sample: On a recent visit to the district this writer was shocked to see an angry mob surrounding a truck carrying domestic gas cylinders in Gauriganj. On enquiry, one learnt that consumers are required to register with the gas agency for a refill and wait for the truck to arrive. So, consumers wait on the highway, sometimes from morning to dusk and swoop on the truck on arrival. Then come some rowdy exchanges and fisticuffs amongst consumers on who has the first right to a refill. Ultimately, those who succeed in getting a refill triumphantly carry the cylinders off on their motorcycles.
Domestic gas production and distribution is in the direct charge of the Union Ministry of Petroleum. Since Rahul Gandhi has been the MP from Amethi for ten long years and since he has been running the Union Government by proxy along with his mother, how come he could not do a simple thing like ensuring smooth distribution of lPG cylinders to his constituentsIJ We must call this the Amethi model of development!
Equally shocking were the tales one heard about distribution of kerosene, a critical fuel for families below the poverty line and sugar from the Public Distribution System (PDS). In Amethi, the story is that local ‘dabangs’ (bullies) corner the kerosene stocks and PDS shopkeepers shoo away poor consumers. like kerosene, sugar too disappears from the PDS network. How come the MP from Amethi is unaware of thisIJ But then, we must remember that this is the Amethi model of development!
let us now look at another key element that makes for a better life - Electricity. Although the Nehru-Gandhi family has enjoyed continuous power at the Centre since Independence, the power supply situation in Amethi and Raebareli lok Sabha constituencies is pathetic. Electricity supply in the rural parts of these constituencies is confined to about ten hours per day.
Villagers say that they look forward to power supply to charge their mobile phones. Those who are slightly better off, charge their inverters as well. Power supply is better in Raebareli and Amethi towns, but even here, residents of Amethi say they face power cuts for a couple of hours every day. However, the large mass of people living in the villages survives without electricity for most of the day. But, there are limits to their patience as well. That is why 1,000 voters of Tyonsi Village, who have lived without electricity for 15 years, have told the media that they are not voting in this election to protest against the non-performance of their MP.
Contrast this with Gujarat where Modi has ensured round-the-clock electricity to every home. Therefore, it is bizarre to see the Gandhis take pot shots at Modi on a daily basis, when they are unable to ensure even ten hours of electricity to Rahul’s constituents in a single district which they have represented for decades. But the most frightening thing is that Rahul wants the entire country to adopt the Amethi model of development!
In both Amethi and Raebareli, the condition of primary schools is pathetic. Most of these schools do not have drinking water facilities or toilets. Many of them have no boundary walls, so much so that villagers defecate around the school building daily and the children have to wade through all this to reach their class rooms. Another example of the Amethi model of development!
The fifth and the most obvious and visible example of constituency neglect by an MP is the state of the roads in a constituency. Travel from Jagdishpur to Amethi via Gauriganj and you will have a sense of how responsible the MP representing Amethi has been. Parts of the road from Gauriganj to Amethi are absolutely pathetic. Some of the worst roads in this area are those connecting Amethi to Pratapgarh , Sultanpur and Gauriganj and Gauriganj and Raebareli. These are all roads crisscrossing the constituencies represented by the Nehru-Gandhis for decades.
Rahul talks every day about the Food Security Bill and the reformed PDS. If this is the reformed PDS - local goons cornering kerosene and sugar supplies and lPG cylinders - one wonders what it must have been like in the preceding decades!
It must indeed be the greatest irony of Indian politics that a district which reposed faith in a family that has ruled this country either directly or through proxy for close to 50 years since Independence, is today one of the laggards in regard to development. After seeing Amethi in 2014, it was rather amusing to hear Priyanka claim that her brother was a “doordarshi” (person with foresight)!
Where do we go from hereIJ Amethi stands out as an example of crass irresponsibility on the part of a people’s representative and of gross betrayal of public trust. Thankfully, most of our MPs have not adopted this model. Instead, they have shown commitment to constituency development and invested their time and effort in developing the districts that have reposed trust in them. That is why, while Mandya, Anantpur, Bilaspur, Amethi etc all looked alike 30 years ago, the first three have moved on to become modern, well developed districts with good infrastructure, but Amethi is left behind. What could be the reasonIJ The Amethi model of development, of course!