Even as questions continue to be raised over Narendra Modi’s lack of secular credentials, a leader of a minority community, one Mr. Ratan Tata, has rejected perceptions that the Gujarat strongman’s vision for development does not accommodate needs and concerns of minority communities.
“I can tell you from personal experience that Modi has been very sensitive to my community’s special needs – namely availability of electricity, easy land acquisition, robust public infrastructure and fostering of a pro-business environment,” said Ratan Tata, one of the doyens of the Zoroastrian community.
Tata admitted that he too harboured apprehensions about Modi’s communal tag, after listening to the rants of leaders such as Nitish Kumar. “Would our community be able to also get power from the grid to run our factories? Would our Nanos be able to ply on the roads of Gujarat or be banned since we don’t share the religious beliefs of Hindus? These were some of the questions running through my mind as I mulled making investments in Gujarat. However, it’s been a fantastic experience and I’ve never felt discriminated against,” he reminisced about his experience of setting up a Nano factory in Sanand. “I had an option between Bihar and Gujarat but opted for the latter. This Nitish chap was making some noise about getting special package for his state and tom-tomming his secular credentials but that doesn’t exactly address my needs,” said Tata. The Parsi leader said that as far as he can tell, Modi’s policies to boost growth don’t discriminate between creeds, only between those in a position to take advantage of market friendly policies and those who can’t.
Mr. Tata’s thumbs-up to Mr. Modi has however not alleviated Nitish Kumar’s concerns. “Where was the evidence that he is culturally sensitive to the Parsi community? Has he ever worn a pin-striped suit, the traditional occupational attire of Parsi industrialists? No sir, unless one takes token steps such as these to display one’s affection and empathy for other communities, one is not fit for the nation’s top job,” Nitish asserted.