New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have featured in Time magazine’s most influential people of 2021.
Prime Minister Modi’s profile, as written by CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria, says India has had three pivotal leaders since independence - Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi.
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“Narendra Modi (70) is the third, dominating the country's politics like no one since them,” he writes.
Likewise, Banerjee’s profile describes her as the “face of fierceness in Indian politics”.
“The street-fighter spirit and self-made life in a patriarchal culture set her apart,” it adds.
The annual global list of ‘The 100 Most Influential People’ unveiled by Time Magazine on Wednesday also includes US President Joe Biden.
The name of Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar also featured in the list.
Baradar, presently the Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet recently announced by the Taliban in Afghanistan, has been described as a “charismatic military leader” and a “deeply pious figure”.
Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla also figures in the list, which is divided into six categories - icons, pioneers, titans, artists, leaders and innovators.
“The pandemic is not over yet, and Poonawalla could still help end it. Vaccine inequality is stark, and delayed immunisation in one part of the world can have global consequences-including the risk of more dangerous variants emerging,” says the Time Magazine profile of Poonawalla.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese President Xi Jinping, former US president Donald Trump and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, also figure in the list.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, American politician Liz Cheney, TV presenter Tucker Carlson and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are also there on the list.
Besides, pop star Britney Spears, actors Kate Winslet, Jason Sudeikis, Scarlett Johansson and Omar Sy, singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, fashion designer Aurora James, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and American football quarterback Tom Brady also figure in the list.