Chhattisgarh has emerged the number one state as far as the GDP growth is concerned, according to the Central Statistical Organisation. The BJP, however, has been quite bashful in claiming this distinction in the same way as claimed by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi when his state won the same honour in 2008 or even when Bihar beat other states to the top spot in 2009.
In 2009, BJP?s senior-most leader LK Advani wrote a long blog on the achievements of the Gujarat chief minister. When Bihar was feted, the party had praised its alliance partner on several official forums.
CSO figures in fact show that Chhattisgarh, the state most affected by Maoist insurgency, has a more consistent growth record. In the last five years, the average growth in Chhattisgarh has been 10.9%. Its record as far as social sector schemes too has been better than most.
In fact 10 days after the CSO figures came out, the Chhattisgarh government took out advertisements in all major newspapers of the country to blow its own trumpet, still leaving the party quite unmoved. ?The achievement of the Chhattisgarh government is remarkable, owing also to the fact that it is most affected by Maoism. However, to a mother all her children are the same, hence I cannot say that the work of one chief minister is better than another,? said Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj.
The BJP often speaks of the ?Modi model? of development to its chief ministers with more than one chief minister privately and even publicly signalling their resentment over the matter. ?I will follow the Vajpayee model,? Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa had remarked when preached the same by the party after he took over.
Former chief minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje in fact said as much in a speech at a party meet. Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ?Nishank? in fact declared that he wanted to found his own model of development. ?I want neither the Modi nor Yeddyurappa model,? he said when asked.
He may be number one for today, but Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh may have to make a habit of blowing his own trumpet rather than depend on his party to do so.