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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sold the state’s governance model to emerging market leaders. However, he circumvented both the economic problems facing the country as well as the solutions to those.
In his 45-minute speech Effective governance in democracy: The Gujarat experience, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate cited examples from Gujarat to make a case for inclusive governance and democracy.
“Democracy has made the lives of the people in a number of countries much better. It is a self-correcting system. There are internal controls in it,” Modi said.
“People are ready to listen for the sake of development. People are ready to swallow a bitter pill. But they want an assurance what is happening is for their greater good. People need to have faith.”
Modi’s speech was heard through video-conferencing in Washington. Apart from Centennial Group Chairman and founding director Gautam Kaji, who introduced Modi, it was unclear who the other participants in the meeting were.
Modi said Gujarat had become the leading agricultural state in the country, even as it had registered growth of ten percent through the last decade. The state had also promoted industry, Modi said.
The conference was organised by the Emerging Markets Forum (EMF). The EMF website said it was a not-for-profit initiative to bring together high-level government and corporate leaders from around the world to engage in dialogue on the key economic, financial and social issues facing emerging market countries.
Modi had attended a similar meeting of the forum in 2009 in Mumbai.
The forum co-chairmen include Michel Camdessus, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Takehiko Nakao, president of the Asian Development Bank, Fidel V. Ramos, former president of the Philippines, Horst Koehler, former president of the Federal Republic of Germany, and L. Enrique Garcia, president and chief executive officer of CAF - Development Bank of Latin America.
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Narendra Modi addresses Global Meet of Emerging Markets
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Won’t support Modi for PM, says Naveen Patnaik
Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik on Monday said he would not support Modi for prime minister after the polls. He said many were "uncomfortable" with Modi becoming the prime minister.
"There is no question of supporting Narendra Modi for the prime ministership. A lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea of Modi and so am I," he told Hindi news channel IBN7.
