The characteristic of a leader or prime ministerial candidate should be that he is not considered a threat by minority communities, said Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who exercised his franchise at Bolpur in West Bengal on Wednesday.
“My reaction to Mr. Modi is well known, I don’t think he is a good prime ministerial candidate. Obviously he is very popular with some sections, particularly in the business community, but that does not mean he is my favourite candidate and indeed he is not,” Prof. Sen told journalists when asked what his comments were about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial nominee.
The economist said, “I will like someone who is more secular” and whom Muslims or Christians “don’t feel threatened by.”
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“So that has to be one characteristic of a leader of the nation”.
Prof. Sen admitted that though he had been regular at Visva-Bharati, he was casting his vote after a long time. The last time he exercised his franchise was during the 2001 Assembly elections.