Polarizing Indian politician seeks another win
DHOLKA, India (AP) - Eleven years after one of the most polarizing politicians in modern India became the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat, he is campaigning for what is certain to be his third term.
And as ever, Narendra Modi remains disdainfully dismissive of 10-year-old accusations that he and his Hindu fundamentalist party colleagues had looked the other way and even encouraged marauding mobs of Hindus as they killed and burned their way through Muslim neighborhoods in Gujarat, leaving more than 1,100 people dead.
The accusations by survivors and rights activists have redefined his image: To some, his hands are covered in blood; to others he is a dynamic leader and the savior of Hindu religion from Islamic fundamentalism.