Letters: Sen on Modi

This refers to the report "I don't want Modi as PM: Amartya Sen" (July 23). Sen may have a visceral dislike for Narendra Modi for the reasons stated in the report. But in a democratic polity like India, the views of one person, however important he may be, carry no value in the electoral arena, where many considerations other than religion also play an influential role. If Modi is able to wrap up a majority in 2014, he can justifiably and legally claim the post of prime minister (PM). As for the reasons Sen has given for not wanting Modi as PM, they too will pale into irrelevance if the numbers go in the latter's favour. George Bush was not a darling of the American people but that did not prevent his second election as president.

On Sen's views on the growth parameters evident in the Gujarat story, he clearly disagrees with the manner in which many other economists have appraised and evaluated them; significantly, those evaluations run counter to his oft-repeated theories. There is no absolute truth in these contentious matters and to hold irreversible faith in one school of thought would be indefensible, even if coming from a Nobel Laureate.

G R Saha Kolkata

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