Will Gujarat now come to Delhi? I posed this question to Rajiv Shah, a prominent journalist from Gujarat, even as the election results rolled in, indicating that the BJP had emphatically won the Delhi polls, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). While Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were firmly entrenched in the city, I asked about Gujarati culture potentially taking root in the capital.
“Gandhiji and Sardar Patel are iconic figures in India, but what about our food culture and other aspects of our heritage?” I asked Shah, who grew up in Delhi, worked in Moscow, and returned to Ahmedabad in the mid-1990s.
“I’m waiting for the lunch we ordered from outside, and I’m especially looking forward to the mutton curry that’s on the way,” Shah said, much to my astonishment. His response had me stumped, for I always thought he was a staunch vegetarian. His simple lifestyle reflected that. The reality, much to my disbelief, was now quite different.
My thoughts drifted to a lunch in Ahmedabad around 2003. I sat down with a senior police officer (who has likely retired by now). “I grew up in Delhi, and I knew nothing about Gujaratis except that they existed,” he shared. “It was only when I got to Gujarat that I was introduced to them.”
During my five years as the resident editor of The Times of India in Gujarat, I had several interactions with Modi. In one such conversation, the discussion veered to the state’s prohibition policy. “Yes, the policy must be relaxed. We need exceptions to encourage investment,” Modi acknowledged. He added, “But you must help. How? By promoting anti-prohibition views through your publication and holding a couple of conferences on the subject. Then we can step in.”
For sensitive reasons that I can’t delve into in this article, we could not support the move. And for one such reason, Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy continues to hold sway in his home state, despite the law being openly flouted through exceptions (at least at the time). Temporary visitors to Gujarat had to obtain ‘permits.’ Our editor-in-chief, Dileep Padgaonkar, was taken aback when he had to fill out a form that asked him questions like: “Bewrey ka naam?” “Peeney ki laath kab se padi?” and so on.
It was evident that the prohibition policy was being enforced not only for moral reasons but also to help the police to generate revenue and steer clear of corruption. Locals used to claim, “That’s why corruption is limited in Gujarat.”
Although many non-vegetarian eateries have mushroomed across Gujarat, and people no longer consume exclusively vegetarian dishes (as evidenced by Shah’s admission), public perception still largely associates the state with vegetarianism. “Regardless of the reality in Gujarat’s cities, I don’t think Narendra Modi would enforce such a policy in Delhi,” Shah said. “There are too many Punjabis and people from other states who would not tolerate it. However, in Uttar Pradesh, under Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, it might be a different story. While Modi and Adityanath are not on the same political side, Adityanath’s personal philosophy suggests he may support enforcing vegetarianism in UP.”
Modi has also chosen Varanasi as his constituency, believing that the city’s values resonate deeply with the Hindu ideals he wishes to promote. However, our pragmatic PM—the one negotiating deals with Trump in the US—likely has no intention of bringing Ahmedabad’s identity to Delhi. Instead, he may do the opposite.
Modi knows that if he furthers Ahmedabad’s stature as a thriving economic hub, his loyal supporters, particularly the Gujarati community, will remain firmly by his side. His vision is to create a powerful urban base that cannot be swayed by the likes of Arvind Kejriwal or Congress who, with their infighting, cleared the way for Modi to emerge victorious in the recent Delhi polls.
Consequently, Modi has focused on revitalising Ahmedabad, diverting water from the Narmada Dam to the dry Sabarmati River, giving the city an air of greenery. He has hosted global figures like Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Trump during his term. Now, it is believed that Modi is positioning Ahmedabad to be a contender for hosting the 2032 Olympic Games. Regardless of whether he succeeds, the campaign is likely to spark a surge in land speculation across Ahmedabad and other cities, creating a real estate boom and boosting local incomes.
Gujarat, ever focused on wealth creation, will rally behind Modi, ensuring his support base remains untouched. This, I believe, is the future Modi envisions. Time will tell whether his plans come to fruition.
Kingshuk Nag is a senior journalist who worked for TOI for 25 years in many cities including Delhi Mumbai Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Hyderabad. Known for his for fire brand journalism, he is also a biographer of Narendra Modi (The NaMo Story) and many others.
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