Human Rights activist Shabnam Hashmi slams Narendra Modi’s ‘Gujarat model’ as myth

Claims the brouhaha over development due to clever strategies of Modi's media managers.

Human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi claimed on Saturday that the ‘Gujarat model’ of development was just a bundle of myths propagated by media managers of Chief Minister Narendra Modi,as Gujarat is lagging behind many others in terms of socio-economic indicators like literacy and infant and maternal mortality rates.

Delivering the keynote address on ‘Gujarat Model of Development: Truth vs Hype’ as part of the 12th N Narendran Memorial lecture here instituted in the name of late journalist Narendran,she said around 40 per cent of the population in Gujarat was still under poverty.

“Modi projects himself as the man who is developing Gujarat in a very fast pace. But he is pumping in huge amount of money for this publicity propaganda. Almost 40 per cent of population there is under poverty. Minority groups including tribals,Dalits and Muslims are considered as second grade citizens in Modi’s Gujarat. He is no different from Hitler”,the activist alleged.

Polarisation between communities was growing in Gujarat and Modi continued to win elections as he could influence the upper middle class there who “stopped thinking”,she said.

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