Gujarat sees baniya, dalal positively: JN Singh

Gujarat is doing well on the sociological front as it deals with words like ‘baniya’ and ‘dalal’ positively, unlike North India, said state chief secretary JN Singh, while speaking at the inaugural function of an international conference on banking and finance held in Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) on Saturday.

Giving examples on how Gujarat and North India react to the two words, Singh said, “I am from Bihar and ‘baniya’ in Bihar is, sociologically, an OBC, so when you tell someone that you are behaving like a baniya, that means you are using a derogatory word and baniya is not something one should aspire to be. But the way Gujarat looks at it is that baniya along with other castes is at the top of the hierarchy, called Mahajan. Hence a Gujarati citizen would look at how to become a baniya and a Bihari would look at how not to become a baniya.”

“The word ‘Dalal’ has a negative connotation for North India. But  in Gujarat, dalal is someone who facilitates trade and business. Our energy minister, Saurabh Dalal, is Patel by caste and he does not feel bad about it. Why should he? In Gujarat, Dalali is a good thing as they understand that without a middleman, businesses cannot happen,” he said. 

“The sociology, leadership and atmosphere in Gujarat make a virtuous combination which would make the state a very large financial powerhouse,” he said.

Singh stressed the importance of hard and soft infrastructure. “GIFT city has provided a platform for things India can push itself for. We have tried to provide physical infrastructure, soft infrastructure is also being built. Gujarat has IIMA, the best rated in the country. Also, a knowledge corridor which includes GNLU, PDPU, Gujarat Infrastructure Disaster Management is part of soft infrastructure,” he said.