- He equates the plight of muslims murdered in 2002 to a puppy run over by a car [1].
- He has been a life long member of party's most militant wing [2].
- He's not shy about delivering flagrant speeches.
Seems to be a very divisive figure. If I were one of the minorities in India, this would be a very disappointing day.
[1] http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/narendra-modi-puppy...
[2] http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/05/14/why_ind...
India has been ruled for many centuries by muslims and christians (british).
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Hindus#In_the_Mu...
EDIT: Why the hell is this getting down voted? Can't the RSS Internet wing engage in reasoned debate?
I'm actually more wary of vested interests other than Modi who want there to be riots so they can position themselves as the saviors of minority. These groups exist on both sides. Hopefully the saner people on both sides will keep them in check.
The comments and the interviews are disturbing to say the least.
> Known to rule with an iron fist - a "my way or the highway" style of politician.
Under "The Good". I certainly wouldn't classify that as a good characteristic in a leader. You want someone who will get things done, yes, but someone who will ignore and bully minority opinions is not a good leader.
Short background - Has been the Chief Minister (equivalent to Governer) of the Western Indian state of Gujarat for 14 years now.
The Good
---
* Achieved a very high GDP growth rate for Gujarat
* Made Gujarat a preferred destination for big industrialists to set up their factories since he gives land & clearances very readily.
* Developed infrastructure in Gujarat - built roads, highways, flyovers.
* Known to rule with an iron fist - a "my way or the highway" style of politician.
The Bad
---
* Accused of not practising all inclusive development. Critics point to poor performance of metrics such as child mortality rates, education, Human Development Index (HDI) etc.
* Many believe that he did not do enough to stop the Gujarat riots in 2001 where 1000 people were killed. After this incident, the governments of US and UK denied Modi a visa to enter their countries
* Describes himself as a "Hindu nationalist", has a history of making communally charged statements although seems to have cleaned up in recent years focusing on development.
The Ugly
---
* Believes homosexuality is unnatural and is against repealing an 100+ year old law which makes gay sex a criminal offence.
* Formed political alliances with leaders such as Yeddyurappa who has many cases of corruption pending and parties such as Shiv Sena who are notorious for using violence to target ethnic groups.