Era of identity politics is over in India: Gujarat Official

Identity politics has no place in India where development and economic growth is occupying the centrestage, a senior official from Gujarat has said as he invited US firms to invest across various sectors in the state.
Resident Commissioner of Gujarat in Delhi Bharat Lal, leading a high-level Gujarat delegation to the US and Canada, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ushered in a culture of competitive federalism in the country where states are competing with each other to attract foreign investments and technological expertise.
"The Prime Minister has brought the culture in India that every state has to improve and compete. This is competitive federalism," Lal said during a luncheon here yesterday organised by the US-India Business Council.

Making a passing reference to the political situation in Uttar Pradesh, where tensions surfaced between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav, Lal said identity politics has no place in India where development and economic growth is occupying centrestage.
"It is the era of development politics in the country and the states. The era of identity politics is over and India is moving towards developmental politics," he said.
During the week-long trip, Lal and his delegation visited Chicago, Houston and Washington, inviting company executives, investors and policymakers to the next edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit to be held from January 11 to January 13.

"Vibrant Gujarat is not confined to Gujarat alone. It is now connecting India to the world," Lal said adding that the summit will be a "golden opportunity" for global investors to understand key recent policy reforms like the Goods and Services Tax and the measures being taken in the country to boost economic growth.

He said the summit will be attended by Heads of State and ministerial level delegations and will host platforms like the CEO conclave and Nobel laureates' summit.
Lal showcased Gujarat as an ideal investment destination, with sectors such as agriculture, pharma, defence, petroleum and technology offering tremendous opportunities.

He said the state government has been making consistent investments to improve infrastructure and the state has world-class roads, ports, airports and 24/7 power supply.
Apart from the administration and governance, Gujarat's strategic location makes it an ideal investment destination, he said adding that the state is also focussed on using green technologies across industries.
Later talking to PTI, Lal said companies have been investing in Gujarat and many more are showing keen interest to invest in the state.
"This shows that this is a two-way process," he said.
The delegation accompanying Lal comprises senior business executives from Indian companies including Reliance and Invest India.

Lal also made a detailed presentation on the competitive advantage of Gujarat vis-a-vis other states in India and detailed how Gujarat became the leading state in many areas including 'ease of doing business' in terms of - registration of the company, State policies and industry friendly eco-system.
He shared that more than 200 infrastructure projects have been identified by the State Government where there are investment opportunities for the companies.
The state is also keenly focusing on sectors like - Agro & Food Processing, Chemical & Petrochemicals, IT & ITeS, Healthcare and Renewable Energy.