Advani for desi development

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani on Tuesday said his party would evolve a blueprint for an Indian model of development in the coming months - as both the Communist and Western models did not suit the country.

Speaking at the 87th annual function of Assocham, he said the party would consult all sections to prepare the blueprint. He also said if the the NDA were voted back to power in 2009, it would be even more “pro-business, pro-growth and pro-India” to achieve the goal of double-digit GDP growth on a “sustainable basis”.

However, he added a caveat. “For growth to be meaningful, it must change the lives of our ordinary people, both in rural and urban areas... It must be equitable, both geographically and socially.”

Clearly indicating his party would not lose the sight of the aam admi, as in the 2004 polls, Advani said just as the BJP was against excessive state control of the economy, it was also opposed to the idea of the state having no role in the economic life of the nation.

“In other words, we have never favoured free enterprise, trickle-down theory, etc. The democratic state has a definite and inescapable duty to orient economic growth towards desirable social ends — what in Indian ethos is termed as Bahujan Hitaya, Bahujan Sukhaya (for the welfare and happiness of the masses).”

Advani said economic growth should not only benefit every individual and every section of society but also be protective of the environment.

“The time has come for all key players associated with India’s economic growth — those in governments, in the political establishment, business community, economists, other professionals, mass media, others — to evolve a common approach.”

He said they should look at achieving accelerated growth with the objective of poverty eradication, employment generation and development of all sections.