By HT Correspondent

New Delhi, October 12, 2007

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi deftly avoided the one question that everyone present asked about the Godhra riots of 2002, and instead concentrated on how Gujarat is today one of the most progressive states in the country. He was speaking at the HT Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Friday.

“Gujarat today leads the country in power generation, in education, in water distribution,” Modi said. “Our dropout rates are down to three per cent. Today, we have more than 18,000 villages with uninterrupted power supply.” Modi’s topic of discussion revolved around the role of states in the building the nation.

Anchor Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief, CNN-IBN, asked if his chief ministership would be defined by the Godhra riots of 2002, to which Modi replied: “For me, the people of the state are the most important. They have backed me, and will continue to back me on the development agenda.”

He also hinted that Gujarat, and India, has always been an inclusive state, when asked the future of Muslims in the state. “Whether it is Jews or Parsis or any other community, we have welcomed all.”