PM Modi recounts Gujarat's top ranking, alleges Delhi establishment disapproval

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday drew from his experience as Gujarat's chief minister to illustrate what he characterized as institutional resistance to the state's economic performance metrics. Modi recalled that media outlets periodically published rankings of India's best-performing states, with Gujarat securing the top position in economic growth during one such assessment. According to Modi, the rankings were compiled by prominent economists and represented objective evaluation of state-level economic performance. The Prime Minister suggested that despite the credibility of the assessment, political circles in Delhi reacted unfavorably to Gujarat's top placement. Modi's remarks underscored his administration's broader narrative about Gujarat's economic trajectory under his leadership and contrasted it with what he implied was resistance from the national capital's political establishment. The anecdote appears designed to highlight what the Prime Minister views as bias against Gujarat's developmental achievements during his tenure as the state's chief executive from 2001 to 2014.