What is it with some members of the elite among my fellow-expatriate Indians? A group of celebrities (some more than others) has written a strange letter to the left-of-center Guardian (April 11) warning against the election of Narendra Modi as the next prime minister of India. Their complaint is his government's "role in the horrifying events that took place in Gujarat in 2002" and his refusal "to accept any responsibility" or to apologize for those anti-Muslim riots.
That they would write such a letter to a British newspaper speaks to their desire for publicity more than political judgment in influencing how the Indian masses vote.
This came on top of the endorsement of Rahul Gandhi over Modi by the even more influential but right-of-center Economist (April 5). It too recounted the same horror story of the 2002 riots, condemned Modi as "a man still associated with sectarian hatred," and endorsed the Rahul-led Congress as the lesser evil.