Lack of trust in governance poses danger to democracy: Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: In an oblique attack on the UPA government, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said there was lack of trust in governance in the country which poses a "grave danger" to democracy.

The BJP leader, who is widely seen as the party's prime ministerial candidate, talked about economic reforms, supported the policy of privatisation and backed FDI in various sectors but for retail.

"The system of governance is losing credibility, which poses a grave danger. The big danger is when there is lack of trust in governance. People look for other avenues for justice and it leads to social deterioration," he said.

Modi, while elaborating on his model of governance in Gujarat, sought to suggest that the divide between the Centre and State was hampering the country's progress and underlined the need for bridging it.

"Good governance means to win the trust of the people and tell the people what you are doing and why you are doing and involve people if possible...that transparency is lacking," he said.

Addressinga gathering, Modi also accused the Centre of stalling several initiatives of the Gujarat government ranging from supply of piped natural gas to allocation of funds for conservation of Asiatic lions.

He also mooted a new model - the P4 model - of including people in various initiatives of the government with the private sector.

"We have to go one step ahead of the PPP model to a P4 model of people-public-private partnership. We have to inform people what we are doing, involve them and then see how we can work wonders," Modi said.

Modi lamented that the big danger was when there was lack of trust in governance and people looked at other avenues for justice. "When people lose faith in government's credibility, it leads to social deterioration," he said.

He also sought to suggest that the divide between the Centre and State was hampering the country's progress and underlined the need for bridging it.

He also accused the Centre of stalling several initiatives of the Gujarat government ranging from supply of piped natural gas to allocation of funds for conservation of Asiatic lions.

"Good governance means to win the trust of the people and tell the people what you are doing and why you are doing and involve people if possible...that transparency is lacking," he said.

As part of his governance model, Modi mooted a new model - people, public, private partnership (P4) that involved people with various government initiatives with the private sector.

"We have to go one step ahead of the PPP model to a P4 model of people-public-private partnership. We have to inform people what we are doing, involve them and then see how we can work wonders," Modi said.

"Our nation just does not need a government, but adopt good governance," he said, adding that technology is a good mode for good governance.

Modi said what India needed was less of government and more of governance. He said government and governance are two sides of the same coin, but there was need to draw a clear line between both as their impact can be felt differently.

The Gujarat Chief Minister drew parallels of the government with a file, but said when life was infused in it it became governance.

Citing the example of Human Rights Commission, which was the sole body initially but got diluted as many such authorities were formed later, he said there is need to adopt an integrated approach to strengthen institutions.