Assam CM debunks Modi's Gujarat model of development

In the backdrop of the intense agitation by the Patel community in Gujarat, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Gujarat model of development.

In a statement, Gogoi said the agitation for reservation in jobs and education by the Patel community, which was better off than other communities in Gujarat, exposed the boiling resentment of the community in the state.

Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat for more than a decade before becoming the prime minister.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, founded by 22-year-old Hardik Patel, has been agitating since early July. The agitation was marred by violence this week that left 10 people dead.

"The movement led by Hardik Patel exposes anger, frustration of the younger generation of Gujarat and bears testimony to the hollowness of the Gujarat model of development," Gogoi said.

He said sluggish development of the education sector and its consequent reflection on the lack of job opportunities was well exposed by the movement of the Patel community.

"If an economically and politically powerful community like the Patels is on the warpath demanding reservation, the condition of the other communities in Gujarat can very well be surmised," the chief minister said.