Amartya Sen,

, and

, considered by some as the greatest economist not to have won a Nobel, are known for their sharp ideological differences. They speak to TOI on

and the priorities of the next government.

Minorities have reason to fear Modi:

Modi has the vision of where he will take us: Jagdish Bhagwati

NEW DELHI:Subhabrata Guha | TNNNobel laureate Amartya Sen will cast his vote in Bolpur on Wednesday for the first time after 2001 assembly polls in West Bengal. And the issue for him is secularism.Articulating his political preferences, Sen said, "There is the issue of secularism. It is true that one judge cleared Mr Modi, but many charges were not pressed. If minorities are scared of him assuming office, there are reasons behind it, though many well-placed Muslims don't think so. In fact, some of them have joined him.""This election is important and I want to be a part of it. I am delighted that I can vote and participate in any political discussion without violating any norm that the country's Constitution permits," the eminent economist told TOI on Tuesday.In July 2013, Sen had come out strongly against Modi, saying he didn't want him to become prime minister as he didn't have secular credentials. "As an Indian citizen, I don't want Modi as my PM... He has not done enough to make minorities feel safe," Sen had told a TV channel. "He could have been more secular and he could have made the minority community feel more secure," Sen had emphasized.Elaborating further, Sen said, "On the basis of my conversation with BJP leaders like LK Advani, Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, there is a problem in understanding the issues of education, especially school education and healthcare. But I don't see this understanding in Mr Modi's programme," said Sen.Sen has often been criticized for being vocal on India's socio-economic problems while staying in thousands of miles away in the US. People have even said Sen doesn't have voting rights in India and he is an American citizen."The fact that I am going to vote tomorrow proves that I have not given up my Indian citizenship, unlike many of my friends in the US. I am not an American citizen. I have to through all the rigours of standing in long queues at the airports across the world. I go through all the visa procedures, having to answer immigration officers' questions," said Sen.According to him, this election is important because the country is on the crossroads about the focus on development. "We need development by expanding the human capability, regarding an educated and healthy labour force. That doesn't mean we don't need physical capital like power, electricity, roads etc. Both are important. But if you do one and leave the other, then there is a problem. What is the point you emphasize on power but 30% of your state population doesn't have electricity connections. When 600 million people plunged into darkness due to grid failure in July 2012, what the media didn't mention that 200 million out of 600 million people had no power connection ever."Another important reason is that some issues like corruption have come up. "AAP made a great deal of effort to address it, but they are novice. Why shouldn't be illiteracy a major issue like corruption? Why India should not have a system of universal healthcare, like China, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand? Pretty much of entire population of Indonesia has some healthcare."When asked about 'Modi-nomics', Sen said, "Primarily the focus should be on education and human capital. Congress has spoken in so many voices, but they had some commitment. AAP had some commitment, too. I don't think there is any ideal party at this time."According to Sen, the Indian economy, as a whole, has done a lot better. "China, with its skilled labour force, can produce an enormous amount of commodities. I think everything I use like telephone, calculator, thermometer comes from China. Our concentration is limited, because our labour force's education is very limited. Literacy is very important and we don't have the power because our labour force is not educated. I'm very much in favour of globalisation."On the recent bull run on Sensex, he said, "It's quite natural. Every time a right-wing government comes to power, this happens. That has happened in France, Italy, America. The moment socialists come to power, markets collapse. The moment conservatives come in, the markets go up. That's standard. But the euphoria doesn't last long. In the long run, everything will depend on the health and education of the labour force."When asked whether the "Modi vs Rahul" debate is basically "Sen vs Bhagwati" debate, he said. "If anyone reads my book An Uncertain Glory with Jean Dreze, one can see how critical I am of Congress. I had lunch with Rahul (he was a student of Trinity college). We didn't have any political discussion. During July and August, Prof Bhagwati and his collaborators published 24 articles on me, I didn't do a single one, except correcting a misattribution on my article in the Economist. I don't like writing about others.""We are expecting to start teaching in Nalanda University. I already have a report on that from the dean and the chancellor. We have a board meeting day after tomorrow," Sen said.On Presidency mentor group, he said, "They are doing good work. I am only an advisor. I heard students' union wants Sugato Bose to resign. I, as an advisor, told him that you shouldn't resign immediately, you should find out what students, teachers and other members of the mentor's group want. I hope there will be a statement on this next week. That's what Sugato should follow."Surojit Gupta | TNNJagdish Bhagwati, one of the world's best known economists, has clearly indicated his preference for Narendra Modi as the next prime minister, saying that the BJP leader has a vision of "where he will take us".An admirer of the Gujarat model of development, Bhagwati said the model was not just about creating prosperity. "It is also about using the wealth that is created, to increase social spending. Personal social responsibility works in Gujarat," he said.Bhagwati, who is seen as a staunch votary of Modi's governance style said the "BJP leader's own life, where he dedicated himself to social service, is par excellence, the essence of Gujarat's approach to wealth: create it but avoid self indulgence."He lavished praise on Modi saying, "Several things he can do with deliberate speed as he is identified with them. Thus, he is for clean government. And he himself is above reproach."The economist, however, felt that it was wrong for BJP to block the entry of global supermarket chains in the multi-brand retail space. In an e-mail interview to TOI, Bhagwati said he would be keen to be associated with the new government to provide "overall advice" but would not join the government."It is not often that one gets, in one lifetime, two chances to influence Indian economic policy in the direction that would take India forward to its destiny through economic prosperity and its salutary effect on poverty," the Columbia University professor said, referring to his 1993 report to the then finance minister Manmohan Singh on what shape additional reforms should take.The passionate pro-growth economist, who has missed out on the Nobel prize, said the new government must take to revive confidence and that there was need to open up the country's market.While backing the 1991 reforms, Bhagwati, who is a close friend of PM Manmohan Singh, also appeared to be taking a dig at Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, saying some "progressive" economists who have suddenly decided to pretend that they were for growth although they often denounced it as a "fetish". He didn't name Sen, though.