[sacw] SACW #1 | 14 April. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch #1. | 14 April 2002
http://www.mnet.fr

__________________________

#1. India: Statement by intellectuals
#2. Urgent Press Statement (All India Christian Council)
#3. India: Genocide in Gujarat - A Backgrounder by Aman Ekta Manch
#4. BJP's castles in the air (Kuldip Nayar)
#5. Schizophrenic, genocidal, anti-business, anti-global (Shiv Visvanathan=
)

__________________________

#1.

April 13, 2002

STATEMENT

Atal Behari Vajpayee's aggressive and intemperate speech at a public meetin=
g
in Panaji, coming after the poetic anguish of Naini Tal and the pretended
introspection at the Shah Alam camp in Ahmedabad, confirms a dangerous
streak of duplicity. The Panaji speech in which the Prime Minister of a
parliamentary democracy stigmatised an entire community for their supposed
intolerance of other faiths, represents a new low in the political discours=
e
in India. This is without doubt the first occasion when a Prime Minister ha=
s
indulged in such flagrantly communal propaganda. Vajpayee has compounded
this gross misdemeanour with tendentious generalisations, effectively sayin=
g
that terrorism is intrinsic to Islam.

With what face will I go abroad and face the international community, asked
the Prime Minister in Ahmedabad early this month. With what face indeed we
ask, can he face his own people. As the head of government, who holds the
ultimate responsibility for the security of the nation's citizens, Vajpayee
has consistently refused to exercise the power that is vested in him by law
to restore peace in Gujarat. And now at Panaji, he has categorically held
the victims of sectarian violence responsible for their own suffering.

In fostering a climate of lawlessness and terror, the Prime Minister is
undermining public confidence in the rule of law. His unconditional
endorsement of the carnage in Gujarat is a blatant instigation of the mob,
which could contribute to an upward spiral in the cycle of violence.

We condemn the BJP National Executive, which went through a charade of
enforcing accountability on the delinquent chief minister of Gujarat, only
to end up applauding him and advising him to call fresh elections. It is
important to read this tactic in the light of the Prime Minister's
statement, made during the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly election campaign,
that the BJP could win even without the votes of the Muslim community.

We urge the Election Commission, which is the appropriate constitutional
authority, to intervene and block this sinister move. A party that has
contributed to the climate of bigotry cannot be allowed to seek an electora=
l
endorsement of the politics of terror in the wake of a communal carnage for
which it bears principal responsibility, especially when a large section of
the population of Gujarat has been rendered homeless and is living in fear
of their lives.

We call upon the BJP's partners in the ruling coalition at the centre to
reappraise the consequences of their dangerous cohabitation.

ABHIJIT SEN
ACHIN VANAIK
ANURADHA CHENOY
ANURADHA KAPUR
ARJUN DEV
ARPANA CAUR
BHISHAM SAHNI
BISMOY PATI
CHANCHAL CHAUHAN
CP CHANDRASEKHAR
DN JHA
DUNU ROY
GEETA KAPUR
GEETHA HARIHARAN
IMRANA QADEER
INDIRA CHANDRASEKHAR
JAVED ANAND
JAYATI GHOSH
JHABRI MAL PAREKH
KAMAL MITRA CHENOY
KAMNA PRASAD
KM SHRIMALI
KN PANIKKAR
KUMI CHANDRA
KUMKUM SANGARI
LIMA KANUNGO
MADANGOPAL SINGH
MADHU PRASAD
MK RAINA
MOHAN RAO
MUKUL MANGLIK
MUSHIRUL HASAN
PARTHIV SHAH
PK DATTA
PRABHAT PATNAIK
PRAFUL BIDWAI
RAJAN PRASAD
RAJENDRA YADAV
RAJINDER ARORA
RAM RAHMAN
RATI BARTHOLOMEW
ROMI KHOSLA
RS SHARMA
SHABNAM HASHMI
SHUBHA MUDGAL
SOHAIL HASHMI
SUMIT SARKAR
SURAJ BHAN
TANIKA SARKAR
TEESTA SETALWAD
UMA CHAKRAVARTHY
UTSA PATNAIK
VIVAN SUNDARAM
VM JHA
ZOYA HASAN

SAHMAT
8, Vithalbhai Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110001
Tel- 3711276/ 3351424
e-mail: sahmat@v...

_____

#2.

ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
79/B I&II Floors, Street 8, West Marredpally, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh
President: Dr Joseph D' Souza Secretary General: Dr. John Dayal

Please correspond with Secretary General at: Phone (91 11) 2722262 Fax
2726582 Mobile 09811021072
Email: johndayal@v...

URGENT PRESS STATEMENT
Saturday, April 13th, 2002

Vajpayee Betrays Nation in darkest day of Democracy
Goa speech encourages Fascist violence against Minorities

The speech of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India and life lon=
g
cadre of the RSS, in the Goa session of the
Bharatiya Janata party, marks the darkest day in the history of democracy
and rule of law in this land, All India Christian Council

President Dr Joseph D Souza and Secretary General Dr John Dayal have said i=
n
their Press statement today.

The All India Christian Council condemns in the strongest terms the speech
of the Prime minister, and all its insinuations, as an
invitation to mass violence and the disintegration of the country.

The Christian Council statement adds: In cold-blooded cynicism, Vajpayee ha=
s
in one fell swoop defamed world religions Islam
and Christianity, condoned state terrorism, forgiven Gujarat chief minister
Narendra Modi (who is seen as a mass murderer by
those who have survived his pogrom, as well as by civil society), and sough=
t
to convert the bigotry and hate campaigns of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad into votes for th=
e
Bharatiya Janata party.

While this may come as a shock or a surprise to some of Mr Vajpayee's
partners in the ruling National Democratic Alliance
coalition, the minorities and secular people of India have always known tha=
t
when it comes to the lust for power, Mr Vajpayee
does not hesitate a moment in shedding his mask or his pretense, to
re-emerge as a violent protagonist of Hindutva, at par with
the Shiv Sena's Bal Thakarey or his own colleagues Mr L K Advani, Mr Murli
Manohar Joshi, RSS supremo Kupahalli
Sudershan, and their most ardent and faithful follower, Mr Narendra Modi.

Mr Vajpayee's speech pours salt and acid on the wounds of all victims of
sectarian violence, be they Muslims butchered in
barbaric brutality by the police and the Sangh Parivar in Ahmedabad, Baroda
and the forests of northern Gujarat, Graham Stuart
Staines and Father Christu Raj who were murdered in Orissa, or the nuns
raped in Jhabua, later scene of a triumphant RSS rally.

He even insults the memory of the innocent dead of the train at Godhra. The
gruesome burning alive of 59 persons was
universally condemned. To now rationalize, and thereby encourage,
retaliatory violence in its wake is to savagely criminalise
civilisational discourse in India.

This is fraught with danger. The actions of the Sangh Parivar have crippled
the rule of law, made fragile India's democratic polity,
and fractured the unity of its plural cultural heritage. The Prime Minister
statements sharpen cleavages to the point of rupture,
posing a direct threat to India's unity and integrity. It is still not too
late for Mr Vajpayee's NDA partners to wake up and act
decisively.

The final word is with the peace loving people of India. When elections are
called in Gujarat and the country, Mr Vajpayee will learn to his cost=20
that the great Indian people are capable of love, desire peace, are=20
proud of their plural cultural heritage, and
summarily reject Fascism. The people will show they do not want governments
founded on the blood of the innocent. This we believe.
----------------
Released for favour of publication

_____

#3.

GENOCIDE IN GUJARAT
April 2002

Godhra
For over 45 days now, Gujarat has been engulfed by wave after wave of=20
bloody communal violence. The first incident occurred at Godhra=20
station on 27 February 2002, when compartment number S6 of the=20
Sabarmati Express was attacked and burnt down by a violent mob. Of=20
the 58 people who died in this incident, most were kar sevaks who=20
were returning from Ayodhya. Members of both communities, all=20
Opposition parties and a wide range of concerned citizens' groups and=20
secular organisations immediately condemned the incident and demanded=20
a full inquiry. However, the BJP government in Gujarat and the=20
BJP-led NDA government at the Centre misled the nation by labelling=20
it as a planned attack and an ISI-inspired conspiracy. The official=20
report of the enquiry into the Godhra incident by senior police=20
officials confirms that the attack on the Sabarmati Express was not=20
pre-planned, that the immediate flashpoint was the sexual harassment=20
of a young woman by some passengers from compartment S6, and that=20
there is no evidence of the involvement of the ISI or any other=20
foreign agency.

"It is also asserted that while there were intelligence inputs=20
pertaining to the movement of kar sevaks to Ayodhya between 10-15=20
March 2002, there were no such inputs concerning their return either=20
from the State Intelligence Branch or the Central Intelligence=20
Agencies and that the 'only message' about the return of kar sevaks=20
provided by the Uttar Pradesh police, was received in Gujarat on 28=20
February 2002, i.e. after the tragic incident of 27 February 2002 and=20
even that did not relate to a possible attack on the Sabarmati=20
Express.
"The Commission is deeply concerned to be informed of this. It would=20
appear to constitute an extraordinary lack of appreciation of the=20
potential dangers of the situation, both by the Central and State=20
intelligence agencies."
- From the proceedings of the National Human Rights Commission

Genocide
Following the Godhra incident, the VHP announced a nation-wide bandh=20
on February 28th, which was supported by the BJP. Organised mobs of=20
'Hindus' started systematically butchering and burning Muslims and=20
Muslim-owned property all over Gujarat, spreading to all the major=20
cities including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Bharuch and even=20
Gandhinagar. The police and other law-enforcement agencies were=20
prominent only in their absence and inefficacy. An uneasy calm was=20
enforced by the presence of the Army, but the violence spread to=20
rural areas and continues till date.

The official death toll so far exceeds 900, nearly all Muslims. Those=20
now classified as "missing" may well be dead. Estimates of the number=20
of Muslims displaced from their homes and forced into relief camps=20
range from 50,000 to 100,000. These numbers are growing daily as new=20
communities come under siege and flee to the comparative safety of=20
the camps. Despite a one-day visit by the Prime Minister to the State=20
and his personal assurance of an improvement in the miserable=20
conditions in the relief camps, the State government continues to=20
provide little or no support.

"It is reported that at least 2,500 persons are currently missing=20
since the violence broke out in Gujarat on 27 February."
- Amnesty International
"What can you say about a woman eight months pregnant who=20
begged to be spared. Her assailants slit open her stomach, pulled out=20
her foetus and slaughtered it before her eyes. . . What can you say?"
- Harsh Mander (just before he resigned from the IAS)
"They (victims) are able to go and file their FIRs but while there=20
are more than 300 FIRs to be filed, they are being registered at the=20
rate of about 20 a day."
- Report of Communist Party of India (Marxist), March 12, 2002
"Today in the afternoon, 32 persons of the minority community=20
being accompanied by two police vehicles to retrieve their belongings=20
from their homes were attacked by a mob of at least 2000."
- People's Union of Civil Liberties, Baroda, March 17, 2002

Sangh Parivar
The violence in Gujarat is the result of a well-planned and=20
co-ordinated strategy by the Sangh Parivar to polarise Indian society=20
along communal lines in order to advance their project of converting=20
India into a "Hindu Rashtra".

The leaders of the Sangh Parivar have announced that Gujarat is the=20
laboratory for piloting this exercise. In pursuit of this goal, they=20
have systematically undermined and destroyed the sanctity and=20
authority of institutions of governance, subverted the bureaucracy=20
and media and used their access to State power to commit a series of=20
criminal acts with impunity and in complete disregard of the=20
Constitution or criminal law. What is happening in Gujarat amounts to=20
ethnic cleansing of the minority community.

Despite Chief Minister Narendra Modi's repeated claim that the riots=20
were brought under control within 72 hours, the statistics on the=20
number of deaths and incidents of arson and looting show that in fact=20
the violence escalated steadily until the Army took over. Modi=20
himself has stated that the violence was "an understandable and=20
justifiable reaction to what happened at Godhra". Although they are=20
now denied by the Chief Minister, his statements were made before TV=20
cameras and are on record.

"The Commission would like to observe that the tragic events that=20
have occurred have serious implications for the country as a whole,=20
affecting both its sense of self-esteem and the esteem in which it is=20
held in the comity of nations. Grave questions arise of fidelity to=20
the Constitution and to treaty obligations. There are obvious=20
implications in respect of the protection of civil and political=20
rights, as well as of economic, social and cultural rights in the=20
State of Gujarat as also the country more widely; there are=20
implications for trade, investment, tourism and employment . . . But=20
most of all, the recent events have resulted in the violation of the=20
Fundamental Rights to life, liberty, equality and the dignity of=20
citizens of India as guaranteed in the Constitution".
- From the proceedings of the National Human Rights Commission

State Sponsorship
There is now conclusive evidence that the State police machinery=20
actively supported the violence. Instances of police firing on=20
victims instead of attackers, of senior police officers ignoring=20
pleas for help from members of the minority community, of police=20
standing by during attacks and identifying houses and shops belonging=20
to Muslims, have been recorded in testimonies and in TV and video=20
footage. The Home Minister, Mr. LK Advani assures us that, "So far,=20
more than 77 deaths due to police firing have been reported in the=20
state." But he fails to mention that almost half of those killed by=20
police belong to the Muslim community - the victims of the riots, not=20
their perpetrators. Some police officers have cited 'orders from=20
above' as the reason for their inaction. The few IPS officers who=20
took immediate and punitive steps to contain the violence and arrest=20
the perpetrators have been transferred to other posts and replaced by=20
State police personnel, many of whom have known links to the RSS. IAS=20
officers who have tried to initiate a debate about the culpability of=20
their Service have been prevented from doing so by the Chief Minister.

"Dr Mukul Sinha, an activist working among the workers of east=20
Ahmedabad's thriving industrial area of Khokhra-Mehmdavad told us=20
that he with his colleagues tried to save a Janatanagar slum from 12=20
midnight of first day of Bandh by organising the slum dwellers and=20
shouting back at the Rama-chanting mob. At 1 pm the next day, a=20
Police Sub Inspector himself was seen helping the mob with diesel=20
from his own jeep, prodding the mob to dowse the slum and its 60=20
residents with fire. "
- Gujarat: Lab of Hindutva Comes Alive, Mainstream, March 3, 2002
"The Commission considers it would be na=EFve for it to subscribe to=20
the view that the situation was brought under control within the=20
first 72 hours. Violence continues in Gujarat as of the time of=20
writing these Proceedings. There was a pervasive sense of insecurity=20
prevailing in the State at the time of the team's visit to Gujarat.=20
This was most acute among the victims of the successive tragedies,=20
but it extended to all segments of society, including to two Judges=20
of the High Court of Gujarat, one sitting and the other retired who=20
were compelled to leave their own homes because of the vitiated=20
atmosphere. There could be no clearer evidence of the failure to=20
control the situation."
- From the proceedings of the National Human Rights Commission

Organised Pogrom
=85 Well-known leaders of the BJP, including corporators and=20
legislators, were identified as leading the murderous mobs. There is=20
even evidence that two Ministers, including the Home Minister, were=20
directly involved in some of the worst incidents of mass murder.
=85 Voter lists, municipal records and other official documentation=20
were used to identify and target the homes and business=20
establishments of the Muslim community for destruction. 'Outlook'=20
magazine reports that in recent months there were concerted efforts=20
by the VHP to get the names of Muslim businesses from the Ahmedabad=20
Municipal Corporation, names and addresses of Muslim students from=20
universities and professional institutions, and also to draw up a=20
list of 'undesirables' working for government agencies such as the=20
Food Corporation of India.

"'Andar ki baat hai, police hamaare saath hai.' [It is an inside=20
deal, the police are with us.] This was the rioters' war cry to=20
Muslim residents in Vadi, Vadodara, as they soaked with kerosene=20
shops that once sold kites, bindis and bangles for the Hindu=20
festivals of Makar Sankranti and Ganapati Puja. But the mob had=20
missed the irony of what they were destroying, as had the two cops=20
looking on languorously. . . Was it covert patronage from the=20
establishment or a communalised mindset?"
- Covert Riots and Media, Outlook, March 25, 2002
"In Ahmedabad, 249 bodies had been recovered until the midnight of=20
March 5. Of these, six could not be identified, while 30 were of=20
Hindus. Of the Hindus killed, 13 were shot by the police, while=20
several others died in attacks on Muslim-owned establishments. Six=20
bodies of Hindu workers were, for example, recovered from Hans Inn=20
and Tasty Hotel. Although there were almost no attacks by Muslim mobs=20
on Hindu-dominated areas, 24 Muslims were killed in police firing."
- Saffron Terror, Frontline, March 16 - 29, 2002

=85 Specious arguments have been trotted out to justify the delayed=20
deployment of the Army in the face of deliberate decisions taken by=20
the Central and State Governments. As mobs took over Gujarat on=20
February 28, the Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad urgently requested=20
more troops in the city, but the Government neglected to put in a=20
formal request for army deployment even though the Southern Command=20
in Pune was in a state of readiness. When the army eventually landed=20
in the riot-torn cities of Gujarat on March 1, the administration did=20
not provide them with equipment or information. This led to costly=20
delays of several hours, which could have saved more than a hundred=20
lives.

=85 The carnage in Gujarat was not a "spontaneous response" to the=20
Godhra incident: it was perpetrated by an armed militia expressly=20
trained for the purpose. These squads, consisting mostly of men in=20
their early twenties, were armed with automatic weapons, petrol=20
bombs, swords and hatchets, gas cylinders and inflammable materials.=20
They moved around in jeeps and vans, and communicated with each other=20
on cell-phones. They were swift and efficient in accomplishing their=20
objectives, and women and children were the special targets of their=20
brutality.

"Every single account that this writer received before=20
arrival in Gujarat, and which has been corroborated by people here,=20
are strong pointers to the role played by such an outfit (the Bajrang=20
Dal) in the present carnage. In every incident in Gujarat over the=20
past few days, the mobs leading the attacks were not the usual riot=20
mobs. They were mobs of 5-15,000 that collected swiftly and with=20
precision wreaked total destruction of life and property in brief=20
periods and brutal ways. It is not easy to collect such large mobs=20
even in a city like Mumbai, let alone Ahmedabad and scattered=20
villages.
"The training given to this militia is not simply for the=20
perpetration of violence. It is also a mental training in=20
de-humanisation of the 'enemy', through the preaching of ideological=20
hatred that enables men (and women, in some cases) to attack,=20
dismember, de-humanise, kill, burn and then finally enjoy the loot.
- Report of Father Cedric Prakash

Final Solution
The orchestration and planning have been on a staggering scale. The=20
attackers' aim was to weaken the minority community by destroying=20
their livelihoods and productive assets. This is supported by the=20
fact that leaflets were being widely distributed all over Gujarat=20
calling for an economic boycott on the basis of religious identity:=20
". . . a strict economic boycott will throttle these elements! It=20
will break their backbone! Then it will be difficult for them to live=20
in any corner of this country. Then no Muslim will raise his head=20
before us!"

For many kilometres in Ahmedabad city and throughout the State,=20
dhabas, hotels, restaurants, shops, carts, workshops, petrol pumps,=20
trucks, vehicles, garages, laundries, bakeries, showrooms, and=20
factories owned by the minority community have been gutted or=20
destroyed even as the structures next to them were completely=20
unharmed. The mobs were led by affluent people who came in cars and=20
carried away valuables before setting fire to the houses. The=20
Confederation of Indian Industry has estimated that over Rs 2500=20
crores worth of property and materials have been irretrievably lost.=20
Revival and rehabilitation at this scale are impossible unless the=20
State steps in and both the Central and State Governments have=20
clearly demonstrated their reluctance to intervene.

"Reports by victims, eyewitnesses and relief workers indicate that=20
violent groups not only killed members of the minority community and=20
targeted their houses, but also attacked businesses, shops and other=20
economic activities held by Muslims or in which Muslims were=20
partners."
- Amnesty International
"Besides, the state government has simply refused to take charge of=20
the rehabilitation of 35,000 displaced families."
- Appeal to the Chief Justice of India by Prof KN Panikkar and others
"The Commission recommends that . . adequate compensation should be=20
provided to those who have suffered. This will require an=20
augmentation of the funds allocated thus far, through co-operative=20
arrangements involving both the State and Central Governments."
- Proceedings of the National Human Rights Commission

People for Peace
There have been numerous demands for the ouster of the Chief=20
Minister, but the Prime Minister has chosen to remain silent on this=20
issue. His senior colleagues in the NDA Government have been=20
outspoken in their defence of the Chief Minister. Others have said=20
that there is no point in talking of Modi's removal because "peace=20
must be restored first". But who will restore peace? The State=20
Government is clearly partisan. The Governor has not carried out his=20
appointed duties. In the meantime, not only have other wings of the=20
Sangh Parivar acclaimed what has happened, but the RSS has openly=20
threatened the minorities. In such a situation, can the restoration=20
of peace and faith be entrusted to those who shattered it in the=20
first place?

Aman Ekta Manch

_____

#4.

DAWN, 13 April 2002
BJP's castles in the air

By Kuldip Nayar

In the history of a political party, there comes a moment which it=20
believes is momentous. More often it is not. The action it takes=20
under the misconception has often resulted in the withering of the=20
party. I am afraid the BJP is misreading the present situation in the=20
country. This also happened when the Bharatiya Jana Sangh walked out=20
of the Janata Party in 1979.
As the Jana Sangh, which merged with the Janata in the wake of the=20
emergency in 1977, it never reached the two-digit figure in the Lok=20
Sabha. When it was in the Janata, it won 80 seats. The success was=20
because of the Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) movement and Mrs Indira=20
Gandhi's excesses.
Even when the BJP left the Janata, its aura of credibility, which JP=20
had bestowed on them by making them a part of the secular=20
combination, lingered for a time. That helped the BJP confuse the=20
Hindus. The liberals had shunned it and its fountainhead, the RSS,=20
after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. The disgust and suspicion=20
against it lasted for almost four decades.
The Hindu card that the BJP played in 1990 paid dividends, primarily=20
because of VP Singh's acceptance of the Mandal Commission's=20
recommendations, which made the upper strata of the Hindus feel=20
insecure. Some Hindus at that time accepted the BJP because=20
reservations for the backward classes, in addition to those for the=20
scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes hit the middle class most.=20
Atal Behari Vajpayee also said at that time that had there been no=20
Mandal, there would not have been kamandal (water vessel for sadhus).=20
What he meant was that if the Janata government led by VP Singh had=20
not tried to implement the Mandal Commission report, there would have=20
been no Ram mandir movement.
The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid dispute was a shot in the arm of the=20
BJP. LK Advani really believed that the entire northern India lay at=20
his feet. His rathyatra created a wedge between the Hindus and the=20
Muslims. Never had communal riots taken place on such a wide scale=20
since partition as they did during Advani's yatra. Where he went=20
wrong was that he mistook the simulated Hindu feelings as the real=20
ones.
The BJP came to grief when after the demolition of the Babri masjid,=20
its graph of support dipped abruptly. The party was defeated in state=20
elections in UP, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh and just managed=20
to scrape through in Rajasthan.
The BJP also saw that no political party was willing to join hands=20
with it until it kept apart its 'Hindu' agenda: the construction of a=20
temple on the Babri masjid site and the abolition of Article 370=20
which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. So the party put=20
these two issues on the back burner and formed the government at the=20
centre. But after having stayed in power at the centre for nearly=20
four years, it has begun feeling as if it is the BJP's pro- Hindutva=20
policy which has brought it dividends.
In reality, it was the fear of the Congress coming to power at the=20
centre that made some of the once-upon-a-time secular parties to join=20
hands with the BJP. Because they felt that a Congress government at=20
the centre would make the party stronger in the states and capture=20
power. The Telugu Desam from Andhra Pradesh also put its weight=20
behind the BJP for the same reason. The predicament of the Telugu=20
Desam is that it cannot afford to break away from the BJP- led=20
combination at the centre because then the Congress will stage a=20
comeback in the state.
I do not know how the BJP can construe the Telugu Desam's negative=20
support as something in its favour or, for that matter, in favour of=20
Hindutva. The reason why the Telugu Desam has decided not to accept=20
the speakership, which has been lying vacant after the death of=20
Balayogi, is this: It has already registered its protest over the=20
Gujarat happenings under the BJP-led government at the centre. It is=20
difficult for the party to accept speakership after that.
The polarization of Indian society after Gujarat is a figment of the=20
BJP's imagination. Even though Gujarat has been polarized by the BJP=20
in the state, Narendra Modi will not be returned if there is an=20
election. People are too conscious of the economic problems. In the=20
546-member Lok Sabha, Gujarat has only a handful of seats. Even if=20
all of them go to the BJP, it does not help the party. The killings=20
and the atrocities in Gujarat have spread such a wave of revulsion=20
and disgust in the country that the party would face a straight=20
defeat. See what the intelligentsia did in the Delhi election after=20
the Gujarat happenings. The party was pulverized.
There is an attempt at polarization in the sense that the RSS parivar=20
is trying to destroy the pluralistic character of the country. It is=20
not the consolidation of Hindu votes but of those few who want the=20
fundamentalists to establish a theocratic state.
The south, which I toured recently, would rather be another country=20
if the future face of India is Gujarat, where even Mahatma Gandhi's=20
Sabarmati Ashram is not a safe place to hold a peace meeting and=20
where peace-makers face the threat of death. Famous danseuse Mallika=20
Sarabhai has taken refuge in another house since last week after her=20
house was stoned because she was doing some relief work in Muslim=20
refugee camps.
The BJP will rue the day when it put Narendra Modi, an RSS pracharak=20
as the state chief minister. Gujarat has aroused all forces which=20
want the country to stay pluralistic and democratic. They are=20
marshalling themselves in different ways. On April 17, Delhi will see=20
thousands of people in the streets of the capital, demonstrating=20
against those faces which are trying to kill the open and tolerant=20
society that India is.
I am surprised over the absence of action against religious=20
terrorism. Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal=20
are no different from the Taliban. The world woke up to their=20
obscurantism and violence after their attacks in the US. India is=20
waking up to their barbarism after their massacre in Gujarat. The=20
Taliban disfigured Islam, the RSS parivar Hinduism.
Gujarat may well be a laboratory for the parivar. It is also a=20
laboratory for others. They can draw the lesson that by effecting=20
killings in the minority community the BJP will only lessen its=20
strength or sway. Fanatics who control the RSS should realize that=20
democracy does not go well with theocracy.
India needs economic development that could give two meals to lakhs=20
of people who go hungry every night. As Maulana Abul Kalam Azad said=20
long before independence, "the most vital and urgent of India's=20
problems is how to remove the curse of poverty and raise the=20
standards of the masses. It is to the well being and progress of=20
these masses that the national struggle has directed its special=20
attention and its constructive activities. And it will be judged by=20
the well being and advancement that people make. Anything that comes=20
in the way of the good of the masses of our country must be removed."
The Hindutva representatives - the VHP and the Bajrang Dal - are=20
destroying the lofty aims of the independence struggle. Not only=20
that. They are also demolishing the country's ethos of pluralism.
The writer is a free-lance columnist based in New Delhi.

______

#5.

http://203.199.93.7/articleshow.asp?art_id=3D6795150
The Times of India

Schizophrenic, genocidal, anti-business, anti-global
SHIV VISVANATHAN
[ SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2002 10:46:19 PM ]
On November 13, 2002, Narendra Modi was awarded the third Milosevic=20
prize. For the first time, a genocide award had been given to a=20
democratically elected regime. The citation congratulated him for the=20
clarity and precision with which he had developed and pursued the=20
concept of Hindu Rashtra. In characteristic style Modi played down=20
his achievements, confessing he was only a pracharak. His speech that=20
was greeted with cries of Chhote Sardar was also disrupted by a Human=20
Rights group, which circulated a note. We reprint excerpts for wider=20
discussion.
The idea of Hindu Rashtra is a Semitic notion. It tries to create a=20
notion of Hinduism on lines of semitic religions like Christianity=20
and Islam. Depressed with the cowdung mentality of Hinduism where=20
anything goes, the clarity of Hindu Rashtra seeks to put an end to=20
its tolerance for confusion and competing ideas. It believes that a=20
good Hindu is one who follows the common value system as formulated=20
by the RSS. Psychiatrically, it is marked by Church envy or Madrasa=20
deprivation and represents what has been dubbed as the monoculture of=20
the mind. The term Hindu Rashtra is India's official contribution to=20
cultural studies, replacing the idea of unity in diversity.
It's a schizophrenic minoritarian notion, as it pits Hindutva against=20
the plurality of Hinduism and also the aridity of the nation-state=20
against civilisational ideas. The word Hindu Rashtra is a colonialist=20
construct, as it internalises ideas of martial and masculinist=20
superiority. It is also a play on time, as it fights past battles=20
under present circumstances. See CD Rom How to Defeat the Moghuls Now.
A genocidal notion. As the citation remarked it is the promise and=20
potential of Modi that the committee found endearing. And added that=20
Modi had still not achieved the genocidal effect of Stalin (12=20
million) and Hitler (7 million). But he was given the award for local=20
events with global possibilities.
The Hindu Rashtra - whatever Tilak, Gokhale and Golwalkar might have=20
thought of it - suffers in its updated version more from the impact=20
of American fundamentalism and the Israeli effect. If the RSS has a=20
role model, it is Sharon. If they could do to Muslims, what Sharon=20
has done to Arafat, Gujarat would be even higher on the Pol Pot=20
scale. The Hindu Rashtra believes in openness but is deeply hostile=20
to cultural difference. Finally, in its current form, it is=20
anti-business, and anti-global.
Any progressive idea it has in terms of technology or education is=20
incidental. It talks of Swadeshi but has no clear action or programme=20
for it. Its idea of education centres obsessively around orphanages.
Finally, Hindu Rashtra is a reinvented concept. It has little to do=20
with its original creators. A creation of electoral politics. It=20
establishes once again, the link between electoral politics and=20
genocide. The African lesson repeated in Nigeria and Rwanda now takes=20
root in India and a sliding notion of citizenship is created. We must=20
conclude by reiterating that Modi is right about being modest. The=20
current violence is only a pilot plant. It will soon be upscaled when=20
India will become a monocultural Hindu Rashtra. By then Modi should=20
receive the Pol Pot Award for humanitarianism.
(The author is Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies)

--=20
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