New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) Narendra Modi was favourite to become India's next prime minister but it would be wrong for a man "who has thrived on division" to become prime minister of a country as fissile as India, The Economist magazine has said.
In a lead piece in its April 5 issue, the highly regarded magazine said that though there was much to admire about Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party, it cannot bring itself to back him for India's highest office.
The article is also critical of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his perceived diffidence but said his government "was a less disturbing option."
The Ecomomist said India was teeming with problems but a decade under a coalition led by Congress had left it rudderless.
"Reforms go undone, roads and electricity remain unavailable, children are left uneducated ....The business of politics, Indians conclude, is corruption. No wonder that the overwhelming favourite to become India's next prime minister is Bharatiya Janata Party's Narendra Modi," it said.
"Mr Modi is a former teaseller propelled to the top by sheer ability. Mr Gandhi seems not to know his own mind - even whether he wants power. Mr Modi's performance as chief minister of Gujarat shows that he is set on economic development and can make it happen. Mr Gandhi's coalition is tainted by corruption. By comparison Mr Modi is clean.
"So there is much to admire. Despite that, this newspaper cannot bring itself to back Mr Modi for India's highest office. The reason begins with a Hindu rampage against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, in which at least 1,000 people were slaughtered...Mr Modi had helped organise a march on the holy site at Ayodhya in 1990 which, two years later, led to the deaths of 2,000 in Hindu-Muslim clashes.
"A lifelong member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist group in whose cause he has vowed lifelong celibacy, he (Modi) made speeches early in his career that shamelessly whipped up Hindus against Muslims. In 2002 Mr Modi was chief minister and he was accused of allowing or even abetting the pogrom," the magazine said.
It said that arguments put in defence of Mr Modi were "too generous."
"One reason why the inquiries into the riots were inconclusive is that a great deal of evidence was lost or wilfully destroyed. And if the facts in 2002 are murky, so are Mr Modi's views now," it said.
It said Modi could put the "pogrom" behind him by explaining what happened and apologising but he refuses to answer questions about them.
"By refusing to put Muslim fears to rest, Mr Modi feeds them. By clinging to the anti-Muslim vote, he nurtures it."
"If Mr Modi were to explain his role in the violence and show genuine remorse, we would consider backing him, but he never has; it would be wrong for a man who has thrived on division to become prime minister of a country as fissile as India. We do not find the prospect of a government led by Congress under Mr Gandhi an inspiring one. But we have to recommend it to Indians as the less disturbing option," the magazine noted. .
It said if Congress wins, Gandhi should make "a virtue of his diffidence by stepping back from politics and promoting modernisers to the fore."
"If, more probably, victory goes to the BJP, its coalition partners should hold out for a prime minister other than Mr Modi."
"And if they still choose Mr Modi? We would wish him well, and we would be delighted for him to prove us wrong by governing India in a modern, honest and fair way. But for now he should be judged on his record - which is that of a man who is still associated with sectarian hatred. There is nothing modern, honest or fair about that. India deserves better," the magazine said.
The much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 mission of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will land
Today, the country's Army Chief General Manoj Pandey has met the soldiers who gave a befitting re
UGC: Gift to professionals, you are not able to do PhD due to job, then this news is of your work
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has given a big relief to the professionals who are unable
The troubles of actress Jacqueline Fernandez have increased. ED is preparing to make the actress
The matter of objectionable comments made by Maulana Sajid Rashidi on SP MP Dimple Yadav is getti
Karnataka SSLC Result 2023 Out: Karnataka Board 10th result released, 83.89 pass percentage
KSEAB Karnataka SSLC Results in 2023 Out The Karnataka School Examination and Evaluation Board (K
The download speed of mobile data in India has increased by 115%. It was 13.87 Mbps in September
Nine crorepati candidates in first phase of Bengal LS polls
Kolkata, April 8 (IANS) As many as nine of the 47 candidates in the fray in the first phase of
He's Accused Of Inciting Bandra, Mumbai Gathering Via Tweets, Facebook
मुंबई: कल शाम मुंबई के बांद्रा स्टेशन
Rajpal Yadav is in the news for his check-bounce case. He recently received interim bail and was
