NEWSMAKER - Narendra Modi shows he's unstoppable
AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) - His supporters have little doubt that he is the true saviour of millions of Hindus, while his critics accuse him of being responsible for the slaughter of hundreds, possibly thousands, of minority Muslims.
The man himself, Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat who won a third term in office on Sunday, believes he is a messiah tasked with ensuring his state remains among India's most developed.
He is either adored or abhorred, held in awe or shunned as a pariah. But whichever way he is treated, Modi, 57, has ensured he is one politician India cannot ignore.
On Sunday, he showed why.
Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were forecast to have only a narrow edge ahead of Gujarat's Dec. 11 and Dec. 16 polls with Congress, which is in power centrally, snapping at his heels.
But the results surpassed expectations even of party managers in New Delhi, with the BJP winning or leading in 119 of the total 182 seats, compared to 127 in 2002.
"Narendra Modi has immense credibility with the people of Gujarat," said Arun Jaitley, a senior BJP leader and party strategist for the state. "Here is a man who is honest, he is obsessed with what he does, he is committed to the people."
That, however, is just one side of the image of Modi, a grey-bearded, bespectacled, fiery orator who has come close to becoming the rock star of right-wing politics in India.
Modi is a hate figure for Muslims and millions of secular Hindus across the country. He stands accused of turning a blind eye, and even encouraging, the killing of 1,200 to 2,500 people, most of them Muslims, in communal riots in the state in 2002.
The Supreme Court compared him to Roman Emperor Nero, remembered in legend as playing his lyre while Rome burned, and Washington denied him a visa for severe violations of religious freedom.
LARGER AMBITIONS?
"He has won this election through his oratory, his body language and absolute communal agenda," said Veerappa Moily, chief spokesman of the Congress party.
During campaigning, Modi initially chose to seek votes on a platform of growth and development.
But as the two-stage vote on Dec. 11 and 16 seemed to be getting tight, the gloves came off and Modi returned to his pet hardline Hindu themes.
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