Human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi today claimed the "Gujarat model" of development was just a bundle of myths propagated by media managers of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Gujarat was lagging behind many others in terms of socio-economic indicators like literacy and infant and maternal mortality rates, she said.
Delivering the keynote address on "Gujarat Model of Development: Truth vs Hype" as part of the 12th N Narendran Memorial lecture here instituted in the name of late journalist Narendran, she said around 40 per cent of the population in Gujarat was still under poverty.
"Modi projects himself as the man who develops Gujarat and the state is developing at a faster pace. But, he is pumping in huge amount of money for this publicity propaganda," she claimed.
"Almost 40 per cent of population there is under poverty. Minority groups including tribals, Dalits and Muslims are considered as second grade citizens in Modi's Gujarat. He is no different from Hitler," the activist alleged.
Polarisation between communities was growing in Gujarat and Modi continued to win elections as he could influence the upper middle class there who "stopped thinking," Hashmi said.
