I believe that the attraction of Modi on top on the national scene cuts across communal lines. I believe that most Indians want strong leadership at the helm of affairs to present a strong firm but fair front to the outside world as we wield increasing influence on the global stage. I believe for most Indians the jury is still out about his role, more by omission than commission, in the riots. But I also believe that the nation has moved on long ago. A lot of water has passed under that bridge since then. And that was not the first or only time that a part of India has erupted in communal violence. As a nation we have seen much worse in the 70s and 80s and early 90s. Why only Gujarat is singled out again and again is not difficult to understand though.
It is the only stick the Congress has to beat an existential power threat with. Cause the Congress knows that the writing is on the wall, when the nation loses patience with even such a luminary as MMS. And remove him from the picture, and you have Modi as a much younger, cleaner, more efficient, and stronger national alternative than anything the Congress has internally or can plausibly throw up. So expand a communal riot into Hitler-esque genocidal proportions and keep fanning the flames of communal divide. Typical Congress stratagem since before divided India. But as is evident from the Indian forum posters here, the nation has seen through this ploy, and Modi's time has come. Let us hope that he does not disappoint.