New nationalism and neo-liberal cruelty

In February 2005, the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association (AAHOA) invited Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to headline their annual meeting. A group of Indian Americans protested. Modi, after all, had had his hand on the levers of power when Hindutva's armies had killed over a thousand people in February 2002, in the wake of the death of a group of Hindutva activists in Godhra, allegedly by a Muslim mob. Some held him personally responsible, either for sins of commission (he set the forces in motion and purposefully held back the police) or for sins of omission (he failed to prevent the riots or to stop them once they began). Either way, Modi did not look good. He was bad for Brand India.

But not to the leaders of AAHOA. To them, Modi was Gujarat. M P Rama, AAHOA's vice chair, wanted Modi because his organisation "saw a great business opportunity. We told Narendrabhai Modi to come and tell our members about Gujarat's potential." As it turned out, the US government denied Modi's visa application. Gujarat's strongman stayed home.