Monday, July 22, 2013

As an Indian, I don't want Narendra Modi as my PM: Amartya Sen

As an Indian, I don't want Narendra Modi as my PM: Amartya Sen

Sagarika GhoseCNN-IBN | Updated Jul 22, 2013 at 03:02pm IST
New Delhi: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has come out strongly against Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP poll panel chief Narendra Modi saying he would not like to see Modi as the Prime Minister of India.
Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose, Sen said, "As an Indian citizen I don't want Modi as my PM, he has not done enough to make minorities feel safe."
He also criticised Modi's model of governance and said he does not approve of his model. "Physical infrastructure in Gujarat may be good but Modi has not done enough for minorities or for the majority," he said.
The remarks came at a time when Modi can be seen as a possible leader who can be projected by his party as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had recently announced that Modi-led team will manage the campaign for 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He along with party President Rajnath Singh will also head the party's central election campaign committee.
Below is a transcript of an extract from the interview :
Sagarika Ghose: There is the much doubted Narendra Modi model of governance. What do you make of that model of governance? Do you approve of it?
Amartya Sen: No, I don't approve of it in the sense that... There are two issues there. One is what do I think of the record altogether and secondly are the things to learn for what Narendra Modi did, had done and doing. As far as the first is concerned, no I don't the record is very good. I think I don't have to be a member of the minority in order to feel insecure. I could be a member of the majority as an Indian citizen, I could probably say that we Indian don't want... A situation where the minority feel insecure and could legitimately think that there was an organised violence against them in 2002. I think that is a terrible record and I don't think Indian Prime Minister as an Indian citizen... Of who has that kind of record. No, I do not.
Sagarika Ghose: You don't want Narendra Modi as your Prime Minister.
Amartya Sen: You are going straight to that question. Yes, I don't want him.
Sagarika Ghose: Why?
Amartya Sen: Within his condition, could Modi have done a lot better. Yes and he could have first of all been more secular and he could have been made the minority community feel more secure. He could have made the majority community feel that they are not maltreating the minority and going against the long Indian tradition of being tolerant and he cold have also taken both of the facts that Gujarat record in education and healthcare is pretty bad and he has to concentrate on that. As much as he is concentrating quietly as it has happened on physical infrastructure.
-- 

No comments: