Lok Sabha election results show India not 'Hindu Rashtra', says Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Wednesday asserted the recent Lok Sabha poll results point to the fact that India is not a Hindu Rashtra'.

Sen, who arrived in Kolkata from the US in the evening, also expressed displeasure over the continuation of putting people behind bars without trial even under the new dispensation.

"That India is not a Hindu Rashtra' only has been reflected in the election results," Sen told a Bengali news channel at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here.

"We always hope to see a change after every election. Some of what happened earlier (during the BJP-led central government) like putting people behind bars without trial, and widening the gap between the rich and poor, are still continuing. That must stop, he said.

The eminent economist said there is a need to be politically open-minded, especially when India is a secular country with a secular Constitution.

I do not think the idea of turning India into a Hindu Rashtra' is appropriate, Sen,