Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen on Wednesday cited neglect of poor and minority community the main reasons behind the ousting of the BJP.
Sen categorically stated that the general considerations behind the results of the general elections in India were neglect of the interest of the poor and violation of human rights of the minority, particularly the Muslims and the barbaric riots in Gujarat.
He explained that what elevated the minority issue from being an attack just on the minority was the nature of wider public involvement.
Similarly, the issue of neglecting rural poor, which in any case was a large population, evoked response from much larger group, showing solidarity against insensitive slogans like "India Shining" said, Sen.
Ultimately it is involvement of a wider public, which ensures a secular democracy.
Commenting on India, Sen said, the social inequality was appalling -- land reforms being severely incomplete. Further, continuance of illiteracy, proper healthcare system and treatment of women were the other problems being faced by India.
Sen said, if the predicament of poor played a role in the general election results, then political voice can be used to produce economic results.
On the new government, he said, it was a grand moment to try and bring economic and social equity.
Sen compared India and China and said that two outstanding lessons were to be learnt from China.
He commended China on the priority it laid on primary education and healthcare and globalisation.