Gujarat

GST

GDP

Gabbar Singh Tax

National Family Health Survey

The famous development model that won a party one poll after another inhas given uspain,woes, and gau rakshaks.The Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘G-spot’ is back in the news. I am of course talking about Gujarat. It is here that the letter G became very important in our lives. G for ‘Gujarat Model of Development’ — a man told us and sold us the idea that all he touched turned to gold and all was golden in Gujarat.But the G model of development/ governance does not find mention in the speeches of the ruling party these days and it is only natural because G now stands for GST or more popularly the, which, according to several reports, has brought thousands of businesses and jobs to a grinding halt. G is now also associated with GDP, which has gone down and is projected to decrease further.G for gobbledygook and G for Goebbelsian lies, which is all that the Gujarat Model of Development was about.G for the Gandhi family — all the ruling party has to do to win elections is say everything is the fault of the Gandhis regardless of how long other parties have been in power.G for the guaranteed formula of electoral victory: stop mentioning achhe din, keep insulting Gandhis.G for the gullible public which will fall for this and fail to hold the ruling party accountable for its promises. Gullible also because we no longer question the government. We have now made it a habit to vote for the leader who speaks the most and the loudest. We no longer pose questions like ‘Wait a minute, but why is everyone obsessed with Gujarat if it is clearly Kerala which is doing much better?’Recently, writer Tavleen Singh shared pictures about another G — garbage, heaps of it, right behind Yogi Adityanath’s gaushala.G for the ‘Gorakhpur Model of Development’, which is what we were delivered. In this model: hundreds of children die and a chief minister is able to say raising children isn’t the government’s responsibility; the government proudly and openly endorses goonda raj; good old ideas of law and order via police administration are junked and gangs are let loose in the name of ‘anti- Romeo’ and ‘gau-raksha’ squads.There are similarities between the Gujarat and Gorakhpur models, especially when it comes to child welfare. A report on IndiaSpend.com states: “Up to 33 infants die per 1,000 live births in Gujarat, compared to Kerala (12), Tamil Nadu (19), Maharashtra (21) and Punjab (23), according to the Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2015, the latest available data. Up to 39% of children in Gujarat are underweight — the national average is 35% — compared to 16% in Kerala, 21% in Punjab, 23% in Tamil Nadu and 36% in Maharashtra, according to the2015-16, the latest available data.”We do have a knack for voting for those who don’t seem to care about children’s welfare and development. In this model, Mahatma Gandhi is reduced to his caste. The ideals and values associated with him — compassion, fraternity, peace — are mocked and looked down upon. Nathuram Godse is worshipped and defended. This is also the ‘God-Men Model of Governance’. God-men get land at a concession from the government, run businesses and refuse pay fines ordered by tribunals. When they are accused of serious crimes such as sexual assault and murder, their followers run riot while the police watch helplessly.In this model of development, grace has made an exit from electoral rallies. The country’s independent institutions such as the RBI, Election Commission and judiciary are being gradually eroded. Graft, the one thing we were promised will certainly end, has not gone anywhere. Chief ministers continue to get clean chits, certain businesses continue to prosper disproportionately compared to others, the Lokpal has still not been appointed, and the CBI continues to operate with fetters. Fifteen lakh is yet to be deposited in our accounts.Greed, combined with proximity to power, continues to result in the coincidental but meteoric rise in the fortunes of businessmen who happen to be the children of top party leaders.Gobar and gau mutra have been accepted as the solution to all ills.G for the great leader who can say no wrong and do no wrong. Who keeps thinking of and executing one great idea after another, demonetisation for instance. What else was expected from aman who thought windmills should be installed alongside railway tracks and that it isn’t the climate that is changing it is we who are changing.G for gaon. Villages across the country where farmers are under tremendous distress. G for the Global Hunger Index, which ranks India 100 out of 119 countries. G for gloating, which the government is engaged in because life has become easier for big businesses.G for glitter and gosh, how did we forgot that all that glitters is not gold and all that is valuable does not glitter.