NEW DELHI: A controversial Hindu leader accused by human rights activists of instigating deadly riots in Gujarat state little more than a decade ago has been elevated within the main Hindu nationalist opposition party. Narendra Modi, a deeply divisive and hated public figure within Indian politics, to the party's top decision-making body with his supporters believing he could become prime minister in national elections next year. “I find this move horrific,” said 32-year-old Gujarat native and Hindu Vishal. He told Bikyanews.com that “this is why we as a country have been fighting against anger and oppression to ensure these types of people are not in positions of power. It is sad. However, Rajnath Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party president, did not name Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate apparently because of opposition from some allies. Smriti Irani, a BJP vice-president, said the party would take a decision in this regard later. It is not known when the party will announce its candidate. The elections are due in May next year. On Sunday, Modi was made a member of the BJP's parliamentary board which will select candidates and lead the election campaign. Modi, 62, currently heads the BJP government in western Gujarat state. For more than a decade, he has worked relentlessly to market the idea of Gujarat state as a business-friendly state and become a hero to a generation of businessmen. Modi says he has transformed his state, bringing industries, jobs, electricity and water in a country where power outages and joblessness are epidemic. However, Modi is accused by rights groups and survivors of not doing enough to stop the violence and even stoking it when marauding mobs of Hindus killed and burned their way through Muslim neighborhoods in Gujarat state in 2001, leaving more than 1,100 people dead. He was never charged with a crime. BN
