The recent landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with new Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm, is a big test for the world’s largest democracy India. After the miserable performance of the Indian National Congress (INC), people’s expectations are very high.

Sixty percent of the country’s population is dependent on agriculture and poverty is increasing in rural areas, with unemployment also on the up. With its weakening economy, India’s relations with neighboring countries such as China and Pakistan and the rights of minorities will be a big challenge for the new government.

Thousands of Muslims lost their lives in the Gujarat riots when Modi was prime minster of Gujarat. Although Modi always distances himself from a former hard stance on minorities and the killings in Gujarat, years ago the US and the UK denied visas to Modi.

Several key figures in Modi’s government were involved in the Gujarat riots and some of them were recently punished by the judiciary. Minorities are also worried about the hard stance of Modi’s government on Bengali migrants.

Khawaja Umer Farooq
Jeddah