Old battles,fresh investment and a resurgent Modi

Vibrant Gujarat: The global summit in January,the government claims,got investment commitments to the tune of 21 lakh crore in three days. This hefty figure includes all sorts of actual and planned investment. The venue,Mahatma Mandingo in Gandhinagar,has in itself been projected as the model of a project that was completed in record time.

Santokben Jadeja: The original “Godmother” died in April. Often described as revenge personified,she was believed to have been behind the murders of at least 14 persons whom she suspected of having killed her husband years ago. She and her two sons had been in jail for various crimes.

Automobile Hub: The year saw Gujarat becoming an automobile industry hub with the entry of Peugeot and Maruti,and Ford coming in,to join Tata and General Motors. This has been helped largely by unprecedented incentives. Nirma,however,could not set up a cement plant in Bhavnagar because of environmental issues and local opposition.

M F Husain: His passing was mourned in Ahmedabad,where he helped build the Husain-Doshi Gufa (renamed Amdavad ni Gufa) with friend Balkrishna Doshi. His favourite tea joint,Lucky Restaurant,still carries a painting he made.

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Assembly Polls: Both mainstream political parties are drawing battle lines and making strategies. There is no dearth of issues: Sadbhavna and Satkarma for the ruling BJP and the Congress respectively. Each will also try to expose scams involving the other,using RTI applications filed by their proxies.

Infrastructure: Projects expected to progress include a Metro link from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar and GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) with some of the tallest buildings with futuristic designs. There may be progress also on the Statue of Unity (of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) that is tipped to dwarf the Statue of Liberty.

Old Probes: The Nanavati-Shah Commission looking into Godhra and its aftermath will stay busy. The final judgments in the Sardarpura and Gulberg massacres are already out; the focus is now on the possible final disposal of cases like the Ishrat Jahan killing and the Sohrabuddin fake encounter.