Ishrat, Pranesh, Sohrabuddin, Javed, Vanzara, Amin, Kaushik, Pandey, Pratap Save, Kausar Bi, Tulsiram Prajapati, Latif are some of the few names that the state of Gujarat is dazzling now a days.
Instead, it should have actually dealt with groundnut, cotton, soybean, power, castor seed, Kesar, Chilli, Cumin Seeds, Isabgol and a host of globally traded commodities.
It is an irony that the entire state machinery is in a fire fighting exercise, the largest ever by a state, to save its face from an imminent backlash in the electoral fray by the people.
Instead it should have concentrated on farmers who are struggling to find ways to tackle drought and floods and help them sow the seeds of progress. Farmers, being good entrepreneurs, are smart enough to understand their future without the help of government, a big relief for the government.
It is very unfortunate that a major part of the expenses spent today are on Public Prosecutors and court fee. Most of the time that the ministers spend out of their official places is to make sure that the government does not get another slap in its face, to ensure that the assembly elections do not prove to be a dampener for the ruling party.
Instead they should have been in their respective constituencies. Since the last parliamentary elections, no political leaders have cared to visit their constituency. With by-elections due, they are bound to visit.
It is sad that the investment Bull Run in the state has also come down. Once upon a time an industrialist named Ratan Tata said “You are stupid if you are not (investing) here (in Gujarat)”. But that was for procuring one of the most agriculturally fertile land for his Nano project. The state needs no vibrant meetings to get people investing here. This is a natural place to invest with or without Ratan Tata saying this.
Instead, the government should not have given up so much for a car project. There are much larger projects in the state and ignoring them was a big mistake.
It is sad that the state economy is still in its production hibernation. It has not been able to convert itself or progress towards service economy. That is the reason why Sam Pitroda said “When it comes to Gujarat, one only thinks it to be an ideal place for business to flourish and it is this perception that needs to be changed. The state lacks in a talent pool that is required to bring about a change in the way people look at the state."
Instead, the state should have encouraged more companies to invest not by holding Vibrant Gujarat extravaganzas but building infrastructure for the service economy to grow.
It is unfortunate that the police officers sold their conscience to get out of turn promotions and some of them landed in jail. They forgot the entire vulnerable population of the state and went all out to protect one person.
Instead, they should have shown courage to tackle law and order problems and getting the state out of the current mess. They should have saved the people of Gujarat from being branded as fundamentalists whereas they are the most peace loving community in the country. They should have shown that policing is not about numbers but psychology.
It is also sad that at the fag end of the political career of the state’s CM, one cottage industry that is going to die down is that of NGOs. With no one to protest, no human rights violations, no fake encounters, what are they going to do?
Instead, they should have concentrated on building a modern, humane, progressive, highly skilled Gujarat, not to make it ‘some other place’ as Veerappa Moily pointed out. Now since this has not happened so far, we cannot expect any miracle now.
