There’s much to admire about the western seaboard state of Gujarat (pop.72 million). For a start Mahatma Gandhi — the “greatest man in flesh and blood to have ever walked upon this earth” according to Albert Einstein’s memorable tribute — was born there. So was Sardar Patel, not far behind. The people are remarkably hardworking, blessed with an entrepreneurial culture and a puritan save-and-invest ethic. That’s why Gujarat has also nurtured extraordinarily successful businessmen and industry leaders starting with the Sarabhai, Mafatlal, Lalbhai clans of pre-independence years down to the Ambanis and Adanis who provide some hope of modernizing a nation given to priding itself for exotic poverty.
However following Gandhiji’s assassination in 1948 and Sardar Patel’s death in 1950, this high-potential state has transformed into a sink-hole of corruption. For instance a recent investigation has revealed that Rajkot’s chief town planning officer has accumulated assets including gold and silver bullion, petrol station pumps and agricultural land valued at Rs.28 crore, a sum 1,128 percent more than his entire lifetime’s legal earnings.
With the benefit of hindsight it’s now clear that the state’s descent into a cesspit of corruption began with the imposition of liquor prohibition in 1960. Since then while all other states of the country have lifted prohibition because the corruption it breeds substantially outweighs its benefits, prohibition is still official policy in Gujarat (where liquor is freely available at a price). In the interim this policy obstinacy has corrupted the police force and infected the entire administration.
According to US immigration data, Gujaratis constitute a large percent of the annual tide of 725,000 illegal immigrants from India who climb every mountain, and ford every stream to enter the US illegally. Yet according to leaders of the ruling BJP government at the Centre — Prime Minister Narendra Modi served a long term (2002-2014) as chief minister of Gujarat — what the nation needs is the Gujarat model of development. No comment.
