Top Indians abroad slam Modi in UK paper

Several  India's top known intelligentsia, who are currently staying outside the nation, which include  names like writer Salman Rushdie, filmmaker Deepa Mehta, sculptor Anish Kapoor, have written a letter warning against Modi as the prime minister and said  it will bode ill for the Asian nation's future.  

"Without questioning the validity of India's democratic election process, it is crucial to remember the role played by the Modi government in the horrifying events that took place in Gujarat in 2002. The Muslim minority were overwhelmingly the victims of pillage, murder and terror, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,000 men, women and children. Women, in particular, were subjected to brutal acts of violence and were left largely unprotected by the security forces," an open letter signed by Rushdie and others as published in the UK-based 'The Guardian' newspaper read.

The letter was published in the newspaper with the  headline: 'If Modi is elected, it will bode ill for India's future'.

 "Although some members of Narendra Modi's government are now facing trial, Modi himself repeatedly refuses to accept any responsibility or to render an apology. Such a failure of moral character and political ethics on the part of Modi is incompatible with India's secular constitution, which, in advance of many constitutions across the world, is founded on pluralist principles and seeks fair and full representation for minorities," read the letter.

It said: "Were he to be elected prime minister, it would bode ill for India's future as a country that cherishes the ideals of inclusion and protection for all its peoples and communities."