Narendra Damodardas Modi appears to dominate Gujarat, election-bound now, like no other political leader dominates his immediate constituency.

Modi has been assigned many adjectives, efficient, dictatorial, and ruthless. But, first and foremost, Modi will always be remembered because of the 2002 Gujarat riots (though many prefer to call it a pogrom). His famed administrative efficiency was not displayed in saving the lives innocents. Equally, it would be impossible not to acknowledge his role in making Gujarat an economic powerhouse.

Before he took over, Gujarat’s pre-eminence was declining. Economic growth was on a downtrend, and from the greater than 15 per cent growth in gross state domestic product observed in the mid-nineties, it had fallen to nil in 2000-01. But it was not just economic growth — industrial investment, infrastructure improvements, and so on, also appeared to be on a decline. This was due to a range of factors, not just related to state-level governance. But around the time the Modi government took over, a resurgence of the Gujarati economy began.

It is indeed difficult to assign responsibility for improvements or impairments on a single individual, even if he is the CM. But individuals can and do catalyse changes, and energetic politicians have been known to energise governance, even if it is limited to the economic front. And by most accounts Modi has been instrumental in Gujarat’s success though he has been aided by many factors that just gathered momentum around the time he came in.

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