Infosys mentor Narayana Murthy at the NDTV 'Solutions' summit

Narendra Modi should be allowed to show contrition and move on, Infosys mentor Narayana Murthy today said at the NDTV Solutions summit.Mr Murthy, who was participating in a discussion on the "Essence of India", was defending his remarks to NDTV that the Gujarat riots of 2002 should not stop Mr Modi from becoming Prime Minister. (Watch - What makes India different and special and how do we protect the essence of India?) "The courts have not indicted (Narendra Modi) or passed any stricture or judgement. The best we can do is to expect a sense of contrition from the individual and move on. We should say...we are all human beings, let us give an individual an opportunity to show contrition and move on," said the Indian software legend.Mr Modi, who is running for prime minister in 2014, is accused by many of not doing enough to check communal riots in Gujarat in 2002.Speaking on the idea of secularism, and whether it could be the cornerstone of India's democracy and political future, Mr Murthy said secularism was extremely important for every Indian to have the wherewithal to contribute."State and religion must be completely separated. We have to respect pluralism and every leader has to practice this," he added.Arguing against panelist Arun Shourie's comment that secularism had been prostituted, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said, "Secularism and democracy are very important to me. Democracy has never been defined as majority rule. Democracy is governance by discussion."

Recommending a shift from "secularism" to "pluralism", Mr Shourie prescribed for India a "fair and firm state, a creative society, where we optimize opportunities for every individual."