The Gujarat Model and the Right-Wing Shift in 2014

Abstract

The 2014 general election heralded a major shift in Indian politics. For the first time since Independence, India elected a right-wing party to power at the Centre and in several states. The Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, won the election on the basis of the much-publicized Gujarat model and his track record of development represented by it. The chapter examines the genesis of this model and its role in shaping the emergence and consolidation of a BJP dominated political system, which has resulted in the exclusion and marginalization of minorities. It highlights the limitations and inconsistencies of this model and contrasts it with the development policies of the UPA government. It also examines the elitist and communal dimensions of the Gujarat model which has been a source of considerable disillusionment with it.