New York: BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal are among the world`s 100 most influential people, according to a list published by the Time magazine Thursday.
The Time has named the 100 most influential people in the world without ranking them and four Indians have made it to the list. Apart from Modi and Kejriwal, author Arundhati Roy and Coimbatore-based health activist Arunachalam Muruganantham are also on the list.
In a profile on 63-year-old Modi, the Time has described him as a "divisive politician poised to lead the world`s largest democracy."
"Modi has a reputation for quick action, encouraging the private sector and good governance. He also has a reputation for autocratic rule and a dark Hindu-nationalist streak. But those concerns are waning in a country desperate for change," Time said of Modi.
The Time`s annual list `2014 Time 100` chronicles the people "who most influence our world."
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who was included in a readers poll that Time had conducted asking its online readers to vote for who they felt should make it to the list of the 100 most influential people in the world, could not make the final cut.
Listing 45-year-old Kejriwal, Time described him as a "powerful outsider in Indian politics" who is the "antithesis of the modern-day Indian politician."
"Though his administration lasted a mere 49 days, with Kejriwal proving less adept at turning the wheels of government than campaigning against it, his image as the quintessential outsider taking on powerful interests ? a David versus many mighty Goliaths ? has earned him a unique place in Indian politics," the Time said of the AAP leader.
The third Indian on the list is 52-year-old Roy, described by Time as "the novelist who is the conscience of India."
Muruganantham, Time said is an "unlikely health crusader", who`s unique idea to help his wife lead to the invention of a machine that manufactures low-cost sanitary pads.
"In a small south Indian town, a man`s empathy for his wife has sparked a revolution," Time said describing the moment when Muruganantham asked his wife why she collected dirty clothes and got the reply that she needed them during menstruation.
The Time`s list also includes US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, singer Beyonce, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor Hillary Clinton, Pope Francis, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani girls` education activist Malala Yousafzai, whistleblower Edward Snowden and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe among others.
