Tags:
Journalism of Courage
For Narendra Modi, Gujarat8217;s thriving development indices have been a handy plank to brandish during elections. He has the plank firmly in place this time as well, pegging the BJP8217;s Jeetega Gujarat campaign on it and leading with the much talked about Jyotigram scheme8212;hoping it will power him to victory yet again.
Launched in September 2003, the Jyotigram electrification plan covers 18,065 villages, providing 24-hour, three-phase power to rural homes across Gujarat. The successful implementation even caught the fancy of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whose presence at the dedication ceremony gave Modi a good photo-op.
Understandably, state Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, under whose stewardship the project was implemented, is gung-ho. 8220;Gujarat is the only state in the country to provide 24-hour power to its rural citizens. It will translate into solid support for us in the elections,8221; he says.
A smug BJP is highlighting the results of the scheme to buttress Patel8217;s claims. The 24-hour power has worked wonders for small enterprises like flour mills and food processing units, helping them churn more money in mainland Gujarat. A hurriedly conducted study by the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, IRMA, in 2005, even found that Jyotigram had helped reverse the rural-urban migration by as much as 33 per cent.
However, the picture is not as rosy as it seems. Patel and Modi have to contend with the farmers8217; discontent over the eight-hour, single-phase power being supplied to the fields, compared with the earlier 14-hour supply. The farmers believe that the 14-hour supply, despite breaks, was a better arrangement, and their angst has been conveniently lapped up by the Congress to turn it into an electoral issue. The Opposition party8217;s candidates are harping on the farmers8217; difficulties, creating a feeling of unease in the BJP.
To add to the BJP8217;s woes, the Sangh affiliate, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh BKS, is running a strident campaign to reveal the loopholes in the Modi Government8217;s claims. 8220;All Jyotigram feeders report more theft than normal feeders. Farmers are not getting enough power to draw the required water. What progress are they talking about?8221; says Kanu Patel of the BKS. Perhaps, the poll results will answer that.
