New Delhi:
The much-touted Gujarat model of development is "flawed" and "a bit of an exaggeration", Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Monday, affirming that this model would not work for the whole country.
Flaunted by Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a success story, the Gujarat model was described by Chidambaram as the one that had left large sections of the people of the state behind.
"Like every model, there are some positive elements. But by and large it's a flawed model. It is a model that does not believe in inclusive growth. It is a model that has left large sections of the people of Gujarat behind.
"Secondly, a model that may have worked in Gujarat over a period of few years may not be the model that will work for the whole country," he said.
Refusing to get into a discussion whether Modi as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate would be good or bad for Congress, he said his party was not fighting any individual but an idea represented by BJP which was rejected in 2004 and 2009.
He mocked at the elevation of Modi as Election Campaign Committee chief, saying he was such a divisive person that there is a "lot of rebellion" within his party, starting from the top, apparently referring to the resignation by L K Advani.
"We think Mr Modi is a very divisive figure, which is why there is a lot of rebellion within his party. For the first time I have seen there is a rebellion starting at the very top," Chidambaram said.
Modi rescuing 15,000 Gujaratis is myth: Chidambaram
"Myth-making"--this is how Finance Minister P Chidambaram dismissed reports that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had ensured rescue of 15,000 Gujarati pilgrims from flood-hit Uttarakhand recently.
"I am sure, if allowed, his managers, handlers would have claimed that he rescued 1.50 lakh", he said.
The Finance Minister said he had done a bit of maths and had come to the conclusion that if 80 Innova cars and four aircraft were pressed into service they could carried only a maximum of 2,300 people, even if cramped.
"Secondly, rescue is one thing, transportation is another thing. I think they mixed up transporting people from Dehradun to rescuing them from where the disaster struck," he said.
"This is another type of myth-making. These are indicators that when you get into myth-making, you tend to get carried away," he said.
Reports of 15,000 Gujaratis have been rescued appeared after Modi had visited Uttarakhand but BJP has clarified that he had never made such a claim.
