Narendra Modi, the 63-year-old head of the hindu nationalist opposition (the BJP), would signal a radical change from the current prime minister, the cerebral, low-key and unpopular Manmohan Singh. As a pugnacious champion of domestic big business, Modi is expected to push policies to kick-start a lagging economy without giving a longer leash to inflation.The son of a tea seller from the western Indian state of Gujarat, Modi is a yoga enthusiast and a strict vegetarian. He's also a divisive and controversial figure. Two decades ago he was an early strategist for the BJP, whose members have often been accused of nurturing hatred toward India's Muslim minority. Many hold him responsible for failing to control communal riots in his state in 2002, when rampages killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. Modi was never charged, though some of his close associates have been convicted for inciting the riots.
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