Prime minister is trying to win a third term in the elections and has set his sights on exceeding Ghandi as he morphs into a religious leader, experts say
The prime minister is trying to win a third term in the elections and has set his sights on exceeding Ghandi as he morphs into a religious leader, experts sayAs the distant rumble of a helicopter drew closer, cheers erupted from the gathered crowds in anticipation.
Yet to others it is a story of democratic backsliding and growing authoritarianism; of crony capitalism and a growing chasm between rich and poor; of the erosion of freedom of the media and judicial independence; attacks on secularism, liberal institutions and civil society; of publicly condoned Islamophobia and growing state-sponsored persecution of minorities, primarily India’s 200 million Muslims.
“But Modi’s ego is what gives him the ability to have this grand vision for what India will become,” they added. “He is talking about laying the ground work for the country for the next 1,000 years.” It was as an eight-year-old child that Modi first wandered into the offices of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh , the right-wing Hindu paramilitary organisation that has worked for almost a century to push India towards becoming a Hindu state. His interest in the RSS began as a form of extracurricular entertainment in his otherwise quiet village but he soon began to take a proactive role as a volunteer, participating in activities and local outreach programmes to promote Hindu identity.
Almost immediately after he became chief minister, events unfolded in Gujarat that would colour his reputation forever. In February 2002, train coaches carrying Hindu pilgrims were set alight after a dispute, killing 59 people. Muslims were blamed and the following day a coordinated attack by right wing Hindu groups began on Muslim neighbourhoods, where hundreds were tortured, killed, burned alive and gang raped, while the police were accused of standing by.
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