For parts of the Indo-Canadian community, for its business elite, and for Canadian business the visit of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Canada (April 14-16) is being enthusiastically anticipated. The “business friendly” politician was elected PM last year, and the attraction of a huge number of middle-class consumers in India, and the promises of a bright future from a man who brought an economic boom to his home state of Gujarat, are compelling.
But Modi is also a controversial figure for some. From an early age he has been involved with Hindutva, Hindu nationalism and ideology determined to make India a Hindu state. He has also been criticized for his role in a massive attack of killings of 1000 or more Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. Those riots and Modi’s role have been denounced by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations.
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda spoke about Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada with Dolores Chew, a member of CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud) a forum for peace, secularism and democratic development in South Asia. Chew is also on the faculty of Montreal’s Marianopolis College and teaches history and the humanities.
ListenMore information:
CBC News/Nahlah Ayed (analysis) – Canada claiming ‘special relationship’ with India’s Narendra Modi – here
Financial Post – Narendra Modi’s visit could open new passage to India — and Canada – here
CBC News – Narendra Modi visit: The elaborate marketing strategy behind the Indian PM’s rock-star status – here
National Post – Rock star or butcher? Indian PM Narendra Modi to be met by arena-sized crowds, protests on Canadian visit – here
Eurasia Review – Canada Cousins: Modi’s Visit to Canada, Analysis – here
UPDATE – April 15, 2015: In the interview with Dolores Chew there was a question about why PM Modi’s visit to Canada is the first in 42 years of an Indian Prime Minister, based on numerous media reports. However, in June of 2010, “Dr. Manmohan Singh, visited Canada from June 26 to June 28 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Stephen Harper. During his visit, Prime Minister Singh participated in the G-20 Toronto Summit and held bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Harper.” This according to a statement on the official website of Canada’s Prime Minister.
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