[sacw] SACW Dispatch 3 Sept,99

[Harsh Kapoor]

Souht Asia Citizens Web Dispatch
3 Sept. 1999
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex
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Contents:
#1. Sabrang Election Monitor/ Alert No.6 / 1 Sept.,99
#2. Another Chritian Priest Murdered in India (Statement by AICU, 2 Sept., 9=
9)
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#1.
(SABRANG ELECTION MONITOR) ALERT No: 6 SEPTEMBER 1, 1999

The RSS has started its usual villification campaign on the series of ads
being run by Communalism Combat over the past week. The Asian Age reports:
'RSS has never backed Godse : The Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh on Tuesday
lashed out at some "vested political interests" for taking recourse to lie
and calumny to malign "patriotic and nationalist" organisations." Commenting
on an advertisement highlighting a quote allegedly of RSS chief rajendra
Singh, general secretary H.V.Seshadri said, "The RSS has never supported the
act of Nathuram Godse."

The fascist agenda of the RSS has always justified the assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi. Enclosed is the entire text of a letter written by none less
than Sardar Vallabhai Patel, independent India's first union home minister
commenting on RSS activities following Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. The
entire text is invaluable. He says clearly, "The RSS men expressed joy and
distributed sweets after Gandhiji's death."
Information like this needs to be disseminated as widely as possible. So
that it can be used in a variety of fora.
Please use this and revert back to us with reactions on the SABRANG ELECTION
MONITOR
Teesta Setalvad
<sabrang@b...>
::::::::::::::::
Sardar Vallabhai Patel, union home minister, to Guru Golwalkar, RSS chief in
a letter written on September 11, 1948. The letter is quoted in full in
Desraj Goel's Rahstriya Swayamsevak Sangh.The entire Text :
Aurangzeb Road,

New Delhi,
11th Sept. 1948
Brother Sri Golwalkar,
Received your letter dated 11th August. Jawaharlal has also sent me your
letter of the same date.
You are very well aware of my views on the RSS. I have expressed these
thoughts at Jaipur in December last month at Lucknow in January. The people
had welcomed those views. I had hoped that your people also would accept
them. But they appear to have no effect on the RSS persons, nor was there
any change in their programmes. There can be no doubt that the RSS did
service to the Hindu Society. In the areas where there was the need for help
and organisation, the young men of the RSS protected women and children and
strove much for their sake. No person of understanding could have a word of
objection regarding that. But the objectionable part arose when they,
burning with revenge, began attacking Mussalmans. Organising Hindus and
helping them is one thing but going in for revenge for its sufferings on
innocent and helpless men, women and children is quite another thing.
Apart from this, their opposition to the Congress, that too of such
virulence, disregarding all considerations of personality, decency or
decorum, created a kind of unrest among the people. All their speeches were
full communal poison. It was not necessary to spread poison and enthuse the
Hindus and organise for their protection. As a final result of the poison,
the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the valuable life of Gandhiji.
Even an iota of sympathy of the Government or of the people no more remained
for the RSS. In fact the opposition grew. Opposition turned more severe,
when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji's
death. Under these conditions it became inevitable for the Government to
take action against the RSS.

II..

Since then, over six months have elapsed. We have hoped that after this
lapse of time, with full and proper consideration the RSS persons would
come to the right path. But from the reports that come to me, it is evident
that attempts to put fresh life into their same old activities are afoot. I
once again ask you to give your thought to my Jaipur and Lucknow speeches
and accept the path I had indicated for the RSS. I am quite certain that
therein lies the good of the RSS and the country and moving in that path we
can join hands in achieving the welfare of our country. Of course, you are
aware that we are passing through delicate times. It is the duty of every
one from the highest to the lowliest in this country to contribute his mite,
in whatever way possible, to the service of the country. In this delicate
hour there is no place for party conflicts and old quarrels. I thoroughly
convinced that the RSS men can carry on their patriotic endeavor only by
joining the Congress and not by keeping separate or by opposing. I am glad
that you have been released. I hope that you will arrive at the proper
decision after due consideration of what I have said above. With regard to
restrictions imposed upon you I am in correspondence with the CP Government.
I shall let you know after receiving their reply.
Yours
(SD.) VALLABH BHAI PATEL

(Rendered from the original in Hindi)*
Justice on Trial: Historic Document of Guruji-Government Correspondence, pp.
26-8;
N.B. This letter also, incidentally, clarifies the misunderstanding created
that the Sardar had invited them to join the Congress; the invitation is for
rethinking and change of heart and then giving it a concrete shape by merger
into the Congress. The same thing JP tried to accomplish later and failed.
Another quote from Sardar Patel:
"As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha=85 our reports do confirm that, =
as
a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former
(RSS) an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly
tragedy became possible."
_Sardar Vallabhai Patel, union home minister to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee,
who later founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, in a letter on July 18, 1948.
Sardar Patel Correspondence, Volume 6, edited by Durga Das.
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#2.
United Christian Forum for Human Rights
CBCI Centre, Ashoka Place, New Delhi 110 001
President: Archbishop Alan de Lastic
National Coordinators: Archbishop Vincent Concessao, Bishop Karam Masih,
Dr Richard Howell
National Convenor: John Dayal Address for Correspondence: 505 Media
Apartments
Link society, 18 IP Extension, Delhi 110092
Ph 2722262, 2726582, 3715581 Fax 91-11-3350491
Email: johndayal@v...
New Delhi, 2nd September 1999 =20
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY SHOCKED AT MURDER OF CATHOLIC PRIEST TODAY IN THE
REGION WHERE GRAHAM STAINES AND HIS SONS WERE BURNT ALIVE IN JANUARY 1999
Strong protest to Prime minister; Central leadership cannot escape=20
responsibility in unabated hate and terror campaign against minority
communities
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The following statement was release to the media tonight by John Dayal,
National Convenor, UCFHR New Delhi: United Christian Forum for Human
rights president Archbishop Alan de Lastic and National Covenor John Dayal
have protested with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the unabated
terror campaign against the Christian community in Orissa, which led to
the brutal slaying of Roman Catholic Priest Fr Arul Doss in Keonjhar,
Orissa, this morning. The murder, in the same region where Australian
missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his sons Timothy and Philip were
burnt alive by Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh in January this year, comes
a day after the government announced that Pope John Paul II will pay a
state visit to India in November this year. The murder comes within days
of the killing, allegedly by Dara Singh, of a Muslim trader also in the
same region of the state. Fr Arul Dass was attacked as he slept in the
Koenjahar forest area. A group assaulterd the sleeping priest and his
companion with bows and arrows and other arms. Doss was killed on the spot
and his companion seriously injured. the assailants escaped. The
brutality of the priest's murder and injuries to his companion have
shocked not only the Christian community but minority communities across
the nation, and specially in the tribal belt which seems to be the special
target of communal and fundamentalist elements in recent months. In the
telegram to Prime Minister Vajpayee, the United Christian Forum for Human
Rights said: `We are distressed that such crime continues to occur despite
assurances by both Central and State governments that adequate steps are
being taken to ensure the safety and security of minority communities, and
specially of religious persons. `We call on the governments of India and
the state of Orissa to take urgent steps to apprehend the guilty and
restore public confidence so that there is no recurrence of such macabre
violence which seems designed to intimidate the peaceful minority
communities engaged in development work among the most deprived and
marginalised segments of society.' The telegram was signed by Archbishop
Alan de Lastic, Archbishop of Delhi and President, United Christian Forum
for Human Rights. Similar telegrammes have been sent to the State chief
minister and the Union home minister, Mr. L K Advani. UCFHR rights
National Convenor John Dayal in his statement pointed out that the
Christian community had been pressing on the Central Government, which
controls the Central Bureau of Investigations, to take urgent steps to
arrest proclaimed killer Dara Singh and others responsible for the reign
of terror in India's tribal belt. Mr. Dayal said instead of catching the
criminals, central leaders were trying to capitalise on the report of the
Justice Wadhwa commission of enquiry, to exonerate murderous gangs of the
Sangh parivar terrorising innocent tribals in Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Mr. Dayal said it was not just the
Christians who were the target of this communal conspiracy but all
minorities. The government of India and the state government could not
shrug off their responsibility. In another statement, All India
Christian Council president Dr Joseph de Souza and the All India Catholic
Union called on the people of India to express their outrage at the
continuing conspiracy of hate and terror. This, they said, posed a threat
to the unity and integrity of the nation itself. The communal violence in
Orissa against Muslims and Christians was taking place on the eve of the
general elections, they pointed out. This was designed to intimidate the
minorities and create an atmosphere of divisiveness in keeping with the
hateful thesis of One nation, One People, one culture. The people of
India, Dr de Souza said, would give befitting reply to the fundamentalist
forces.
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