Narendra Modi, who has been popular for attracting investment in the booming west coast state, may be the best hope the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has of beating the Congress party-led government in 2014 elections.
“God is great,” he posted on his Twitter feed after the decision was announced.
But Modi, 61, is tainted by allegations he turned a blind eye to mobs that killed up to 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, in the 2002 riots. He has been denied a visa to the United States.
Still, polls show him to be the BJP’s most popular lawmaker and he enjoys the support of prominent businessmen.
The top court ordered the case be passed on to a Gujarat tribunal, lowering its profile. It is still is looking at other cases related to the riots.
The ruling party said the Supreme Court had not let Modi off the hook and that a guilty verdict was still possible in the lower court.
Relatives of victims had asked the Court to prosecute Modi on charges that he colluded with the police to fan the violence.
“I am disappointed with the verdict,” said Zakia Jafri, the widow of a politician belonging to the Congress party, who was killed by rioters, along with dozens of neighbours. She vowed to keep fighting the case in court.
Monday’s ruling was welcomed by the BJP, a right-of-centre party that governed India from 1998 to 2004 and uses religion to mobilise voters.
Religious violence has often flared up in India. The Gujarat riots followed a fire on a train that killed dozens of people, mainly Hindu pilgrims.
In March this year, 11 people were sentenced to death for starting the fire.
The BJP now hopes to capitalize on an anti-corruption protest movement led by activist Anna Hazare that electrified India’s middle classes and made the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh look weak and indecisive.
Singh’s Congress party is grooming Rahul Gandhi, the great-grandson of India’s first Prime-Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to be it’s candidate in the 2014 polls.
Most economists believe that the pace of India’s economic reforms, begun under the current prime minister when he was finance minister in 1991, have stalled and need a change in government to be revitalised.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2011.
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@ Ghaznavi - Congress too killed Sikhs in 1984 and then Rajiv Gandhi became PM. So, in that case, why you should wait for Modi ? India already have an example...lol
@swapnil patel: giving credit to brevity, yours is perhaps the best account on Narendra Modi - his role in the future, the hope he represents in the present, and the ghosts of Gujarat'02 from the past.
BJP has stopped crying fouls for 1984, so should Congress. Admittedly, every riot was unnecessary and fueled by different communal and several pseudo-secular instruments, but it is incumbent now to objectively focus on sustainable development.
@anil: I agree with Anil. My wife's relatives in Ahmedabad told me the same.
However whatever happened in 2002 (Godhra train burning and Aftermath muslim killing) are true and excessive violence in both sides. Mainly Law enfocement agencies like police did not prevented the Hindu mobs involved in killings, but Police were not involved in killings in general. But lot of influential Hindu individuals stopped those mobs and saved many Muslims.
It may be noted that local people particularly muslims don't like this type of incidents and now all of them are concentraing only in Education & Economic development.
Muslims are highly tolerant in Gujrat. So no problem now and in future also.
Modi is terrorist fundamentalist hindu if he become a PM then its gonna Jai ram ji ki india -n democracy ka janaza.
@Ghaznavi: First stop the mass murders in your ' financial capital'.
@Ghaznavi...
we will fulfill ur wish very soon. We know Mr.Modi well and its contribution to Indian society and economy.Today Gujurat contributes around 20% to Indian economy and no need to mention ,due to him ,all the religious minorities obey Law and Order strictly in the state which leads to peaceful society.What else do we want ??
Just because Muslims killed few Hindus doesn't give the right to Hindus to retaliate... as a true secular state they should pardon all the Muslims and punish the Hindus....Then only we will believe that India is secular...
After Ghazwa-e-Hind we will teach him a lesson....just wait and watch....
@Ghaznavi: Dream on. Another hateful and offensive post. As if you done great job to your society. Sweet dreams.
We Pakistanis are waiting for the day Modi becomes PM; and the falseness of Indian democracy is open for all to see. In Indian democracy, only thugs, crooks, highly corrupt and incompetent people can rule India. Gandhi would be so proud to see his country sliding into the abyss... No wonder people are supporting Maoists as the current system can only deliver goods to the ruling religious-corporate-elitist mafia. We Pakistani's stand with the disenfranchised poor people of India - stand united, the victory will be yours...
Today's young indian wants development. Though supreme court's judgement would be more painful to victims directly affected than so called psudo seculars. My heart goes out for those victims and wish they can find peace within. As far as Modi as PM goes, he is the only political leader along with nitish kumar who shows a light of hope to the young educated people of india. Congress had done some development in remote past but putting india on the global map with economies like china and japan requires someone stronger and more decision taking personality not like puppet MMS. What Modi has done in gujarat in last 10 years or so is that he has shown to the people of india that we can achieve our objectives with the same functionaries which doesn't work elsewhere. He has shown stronger leadership does put pressure on beurocacy and press them to yied results. I am no BJP fellow but seeing development all around me after modi came to power does make him undefeatable in gujarat. People of gujarat has always voted for development and always will. Religion politics doesn't attracts them. That's why congress is out of the power for last 18 years in gujarat.Gujarat has forgotten the ills of 2002 riots and look how prosporous it is. Every MNCs want to meet Modi today to investment in gujarat. Lastly ahmedabad has long history of communal riots before modi came. I used to see riots every second year in ahmedabad .But i haven't seen any in last 8 year or so. In 2002 riots there were 1700 deaths out of which more than 500 were hindus,more than 300 died in police firing. Ahmedabad was under military occupancy just after 3 days of violence. No government rule can suppress people's wrath. that's what happened in 2002.
"Religious violence has often flared up in India. The Gujarat riots followed a fire on a train that killed dozens of people, mainly Hindu pilgrims"
The above statement of writer is utter false. the truth is religious violence started after some muslim men burnt hindus and its not mostly hindus, but all were hindus in the train by pouring petrol. the judgement has been out and the court has convicted the muslims who burnt hindus alive in a train.many were given death sentence for such a inhuman act of burning hindus in train.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-22/india/286244911maulvi-umarji-godhra-train-maulana-umarji