[sacw] SACW #1 | 11 Mar. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch #1 | 11 March 2002

* For daily news updates & citizens initiatives in post riots=20
Gujarat Check: http://www.sabrang.com
** Also see new information & analysis section on the recent Communal=20
Riots in Gujarat on the SACW web site: http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/

__________________________

#1. Gandhi's Dream and India's Latest Nightmare (Celia W. Dugger)
#2. 14th March a Peace and Harmony march is being organized to Ayodhya
#3. The citizens' march in defence of democracy and secularism to=20
Parliament (13th of March)
#4. Gujarat Under Barbarism's Spell (Praful Bidwai)
#5. Stand Up To Save India! Stand Up Against Engineered and Engulfing Insan=
ity!
#6. Know The RSS-Gang In Full

__________________________

# 1. The Washington Post
March 10, 2002

TEMPLE AND STATE

Gandhi's Dream and India's Latest Nightmare
By CELIA W. DUGGER

PHOTO: The Associated Press - One day after: the Indian train set on=20
fire in Godhra, India, killing 58
PHOTO: Reuters - Seven days after: a scorched car being towed in=20
Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, after days of Hindu-Muslim rioting.

AHMEDABAD, India

Over the past few years, Hindu nationalism, once a pariah movement=20
associated with Gandhi's assassination, has become politically=20
mainstream in this nation and in the West.

Its political leaders have led a national coalition government for=20
most of the past four years. They have mounted a popular military=20
buildup of staggering scale to counter radical Islamic terrorism=20
emanating from Pakistan. They stop in for Oval Office chats with=20
President Bush in Washington and welcome leading lights of the Bush=20
team to New Delhi. They profess a commitment to preserving India's=20
secular traditions and the religious diversity Gandhi championed.

But recent images of rampaging Hindu mobs torching Muslim=20
neighborhoods in the Hindu nationalist- dominated state of Gujarat =97=20
and of the charred bodies of Muslim children burned alive in those=20
attacks =97 have again raised profound questions about what the=20
movement stands for and where its political wing, the Bharatiya=20
Janata Party, is leading the world's largest democracy and second=20
most populous nation.

Fundamentalism and its violent excesses, themes that leaders of the=20
ruling party have used so effectively against Pakistan, are now=20
boomeranging. If thuggish elements in the party's Hindu nationalist=20
family are not quickly controlled, Hindu-Muslim violence that weakens=20
India's unity and secular foundations could spread.

Hindu nationalism now confronts the conflicting imperatives of=20
governing a nation as astonishingly diverse as India in the secular=20
traditions enshrined in its Constitution and, at the same time,=20
satisfying its committed political and ideological followers who=20
deeply believe that India is a "Hindu rashra" =97 a Hindu nation.

The movement is made up of affiliated organizations led by the=20
mothership of Hindu nationalism, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or=20
the National Volunteers Association, universally known here as the=20
R.S.S. The Bharatiya Janata Party handles politics, while the World=20
Hindu Council promotes Hindism. There are many others, as well.

These groups have millions of members who believe India's Christians=20
and Muslims were once Hindus who converted to "foreign" religions and=20
must now accept the primacy of their ancestral Hindu heritage.

This ideoloLERCthers, e embodied in the incendiary crusade for the=20
replacement of a 16th-century mosque with a temple to Ram, revered=20
incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the north Indian town of=20
Ayodhya. Hindu fanatics =97 led by the World Hindu Council =97 tore down=20
the mosque nine years ago. The council holds that Ram was born where=20
the mosque once stood. The mosque's demolition was followed by riots=20
that claimed more than 1,100 lives, mostly Muslims.

The recent violence in Gujarat was ignited by a ghastly incident on=20
Feb. 27 that also seems connected to the temple campaign. The exact=20
circumstances are not clear, but it appears that after an altercation=20
between sloganeering council members on their way back from Ayodhya=20
and Muslim vendors on the train platform in the small city of Godhra,=20
Muslims set fire to a coach, killing 58 people, most of them women=20
and children.

Gujarat is the most riot-prone of India's states, and some=20
retaliatory violence was probably inevitable. But the next day, Hindu=20
mobs went on a vengeful orgy that lasted days and killed more than=20
600, mostly Muslims.

The Ram temple movement was central to the party's rise to power in=20
1991 in India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh. The campaign was led by=20
L. K. Advani =97 now prime minister in waiting and India's home=20
minister. This emotionally charged issue helped the party consolidate=20
Hindu support it would normally have split with caste-based parties=20
and its main rival, the Congress Party.

But the only way the Bharatiya Janata Party was able to gain power at=20
the national level in 1998 was to abandon its divisive religious=20
agenda, particularly the Ram temple.

In India's vibrant, if imperfect, democracy, political power is so=20
fractured that no party can put together a national government=20
without allies. And parties representing the low castes and varied=20
regions of this vast nation aggressively seek Muslim votes. They have=20
made their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party conditional on its=20
setting aside its so-called Hindutva, or Hindu-ness, agenda.

HINDU nationalism now finds itself caught in an excruciating bind.=20
Its followers have been disillusioned because the Bharatiya=20
Janata-led government has not pushed the Ram temple. And the general=20
public, disappointed in the quality of its governance, has handed the=20
party devastating defeats at the polls.

Last month, it lost elections in four states, including in Uttar=20
Pradesh. There have also been ominous signs for the party in Gujarat,=20
the last large state it still rules.

But even as the party distanced itself from the temple issue, the=20
council pressed forward aggressively and with particularly broad=20
support in Gujarat. For years, workshops in north India have been=20
filled with artisans chiseling pillars for the temple. And the=20
council's leaders announced that they would begin building it on=20
Friday, in defiance of court orders and the government's wishes.

However, allegations about the council's complicity and the party's=20
negligence or connivance in the violence have complicted the drive=20
for the Ram temple. Muslims and Hindus in some of the neighborhoods=20
laid waste in the recent violence said mobs were led by workers from=20
both the World Hindu Council and its youth wing. The police=20
acknowledge that they stood by and watched the violence. The state's=20
chief minister, Narendra Modi, in a news conference the day after the=20
violence peaked, blamed Muslims for provoking the mob attacks. The=20
state is providing Muslim families hurt in the violence half as much=20
compensation as the Hindu victims.

The party's leaders say they were unable to contain the violence=20
because they were caught off guard by the ferocity and scale of the=20
reaction to the Godhra massacre. In an interview last week, Haresh=20
Bhatt, a vice president of the World Hindu Council in Gujarat, openly=20
justified the murder of the hundreds of Muslims as a way to teach=20
them a lesson, though he denied the council had any direct complicity=20
in the violence.

Rather than banning the World Hindu Council as many are demanding,=20
the prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who leads the Bharatiya=20
Janata Party, is now desperately trying to cut a deal with the=20
council's leaders to avert a crisis over the Ram temple at Ayodhya.=20
He said he will enforce whatever the courts order. He is also hoping=20
the group will give up its confrontational approach and agree to=20
abide by court orders if he can persuade Muslims to allow=20
construction of a Ram temple near the demolished mosque.

If he succeeds, Mr. Vajpayee will have managed =97 for the moment, at=20
least =97 to hang onto power and contain the contradictions between=20
governing a nation founded on principles of secularism and satisfying=20
a political base determined to build a Hindu nation.

_______

#2.

National Alliance of People's Movement
9/982, Indira Nagar
Lucknow-226016, U.P.

Phone: 347365, 342435, 782060, 782066, Mobile:
9839018491
e-mail: ashain@s..., aali@s...

Dated: 9th March, 2002

Dear Friends,

The fast for communal
harmony and peace was withdrawn yesterday on its 5th
day after a meeting organized on the occasion of
Women's Day at the site of the ongoing fast in the
presence of NAPM leader Medha Patkar upon request from
most citizens of city.

Tomorrow there is a peace march* being
organized by Nagrik Shanti Morcha in Faizabad (6 km
from Ayodhya).

On 14th March a Peace and Harmony
march is being organized to Ayodhya from the spot
closest to Faizabad till which Rail or Road transport
will be allowed by the authorities on that day. To
participate in this peace march please get in touch
with any of us at abovementioned contact information.
We=EDll leave for Faizabad-Ayodhya on 14th early morning
from Lucknow. Please try to come in big numbers for
this event. It=EDll be a bare foot maun peace march with
a piece of white cloth being tied to our mouth.

Sandeep-Arundhati Dhuru-Tulika Srivastava-Madhavi
Kukreja

o o o

[ * Report on Faizabad Peace March below from the Times of India]
Peace march by Hindus, Muslims
PTI [ MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002 1:35:59 AM ]
FAIZABAD: Amidst heightening apprehensions over the March 15=20
programme of VHP and Ram Janambhoomi Nyas, a group of Hindus and=20
Muslims on Sunday took out a symbolic 'peace march' here to emphasise=20
the need for communal harmony and national integration. The silent=20
march, led by noted Gandhian Nirmala Desphande, was taken out=20
symbolically in view of the prohibitory orders.
Numbering about 100, the marchers carried placards. Later, Deshpande=20
said that VHP's programme was "against law and the Constitution".

_____

#3.

---Original Message Follows----
From: CPD Delhi
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 06:38:16 +0000 (GMT)
Dear friends,
The citizens' march in defence of democracy and
secularism will start at
11 am on the 13th of March, Wednesday, from Mandi
House, (JNU City
Centre), and move to Parliament.
The two common minimum demands are
1. Resignation of the Modi government
2. Prosecution and punishment of VHP leadership and
all those who engaged in violence during the carnage
in Gujarat.
The march wll be joined in by some political parties
too, though without banners. Sections of the Congress
and the CPI have said they will be mobilising for the
March.
Please spread the word around to those who you think
may not have heard of the planned demo.
Aditya Nigam

_____

#4

The Praful Bidwai Column for the week beginning March 11

Gujarat Under Barbarism's Spell
Modi must be sent packing

By Praful Bidwai

Such is the barbarity of the communal violence in Gujarat that it is=20
barely possible to describe it. Words fail to convey the bestial=20
passions behind the ghastly burning alive, sadistic torture and=20
chopping up of people such as former MP Ehsan Jaffrey in=20
Ahmedabad--hours after he called top police officials begging them to=20
rescue him. Even the most poignant of pictures cannot describe the=20
grief, and the sometimes sharp and sometimes benumbing pain, that=20
lakhs of ordinary citizens feel in Gujarat=92s cities and villages as=20
they suffer unspeakable brutalities at the hands of Hindutva mobs.=20
And no camera has fully captured the agony of those whose life has=20
been suddenly reduced to endless humiliation, insecurity, and penury.

Gujarat is witnessing nothing short of a full-scale anti-Muslim=20
pogrom. The official death toll has crossed 550, and the mayhem shows=20
no signs of ending. If, as seems likely, the utterly condemnable=20
Godhra incident involved a degree of planning and preparation by=20
extremist elements--with a several hundred-strong mob going into=20
action at 7 a.m.--the bloodbath that followed could only have been=20
the result of elaborate planning by extremist fanatics AND state=20
complicity. Nothing else can explain how the VHP=92s goons could swing=20
into action within 12 hours with previously stockpiled firearms,=20
swords and trishuls.

Absent collusion, one cannot even begin to understand the Gujarat=20
government=92s partisan conduct. In numerous gory incidents, the police=20
not only failed to deter or stop the violence; it actively encouraged=20
it. Just as in Bombay in 1992-93, it refused--in spite of repeated=20
warnings and orders--to intervene in time, knowing this would result=20
in mass murder. Worse, it itself participated in arson, abduction,=20
armed intimidation and downright homicide, besides looting and=20
destroying property. It takes more than mere apathy for the police to=20
passively watch the stoning of the Defence Minister=92s car.

Gujarat thus fits into a sordid and disgraceful pattern witnessed=20
right since Ahmedabad (1969) and Bhiwandi (1970) all the way to Delhi=20
(1984), and Bombay (1992-93). The pattern has many components. First,=20
and crucial, is the formation and propagation of stereotypes based on=20
false collectivities (Hindus and Muslims as =93us=94 and =93them=94, erasin=
g=20
the distinctions between the tolerant majority and fanatical minority=20
in each community). A second element is the crude logic of revenge=20
and increasingly barbaric use of violence. Thirdly, there is active=20
collusion between Hindu-communal groups and state agencies, including=20
municipal authorities, the police, and above all, ministers and=20
officials.

Numerous official commissions of inquiry have documented such state=20
collusion. Take Justice Ranganath Misra on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots:=20
=93The riots occurred broadly on account of the total passivity,=20
callousness and indifference of the police in =85 protecting the people=20
of the Sikh community=94. Justice D.P. Madon said on Bhiwandi: =93The=20
working of the Special Investigation Squad is a study in communal=20
discrimination. The officers of the squad systematically set about=20
implicating as many Muslims and exculpating as many Hindus as=20
possible irrespective of whether they were innocent or guilty.=94 And=20
Justice B.N. Srikrishna documented the Bombay police=92s sick attitude:=20
=93=91One Muslim killed [is] one Muslim less=92 =85 [P]olice officers =85=20
appeared to have an inbuilt bias against the Muslims.=94

What demarcates Gujarat from other situations is that the violence=20
there has been planned, organised and executed by a political group=20
organically linked to the state. (In Delhi-1984, Congressmen were=20
involved largely as individuals). The VHP merges seamlessly with the=20
BJP and the government.

Secondly, Chief Minister Narendra Modi himself has been the principal=20
source and rationaliser of the pogrom. In Bombay, Mr Sudhakarrao Naik=20
watched passively as Mr Bal Thackeray directed the anti-Muslim=20
violence from the pages of Saamna and through expeditions by Sena=20
goons. In Gujarat, Mr Modi himself gives out signals for violence.=20
Witness: =93I am fully satisfied with the performance of the police=94.=20
(This, when the first day=92s death toll crossed 150). Taken his March=20
3 =93Newton=92s Law=94 enunciation: =93Every action has an equal and opposi=
te=20
reaction=94. Or his statement: =93There are 70,000 villages in Gujarat=94a=
=20
dark hint that these should now target Muslims.

There should be no confusion about Mr Modi=92s violent brand of=20
politics. In 1985-86, he was the proud instigator of a bloody savarna=20
anti-low caste agitation. In 1992, during the Surat riots, he is said=20
to have masterminded unspeakable atrocities against women. After=20
September 11, he said all Muslims may not be terrorists, but all=20
terrorists are Muslims. A life-long RSS pracharak, Mr Modi has never=20
hidden his hatred of Islam which he equates with violence, even while=20
condoning the violence of casteism.

Mr Modi=92s would have been a fit case for hate-speech prosecution even=20
if he had been an ordinary individual. But he is the Chief Minister=20
of India=92s most communalised state with a shameful history of=20
violence against ethnic-religious minorities. His government has=20
recently taken extremely undemocratic majoritarian steps such as=20
ordering =93dharti mata=94 yajnas in state-run schools to =93prevent=94=20
earthquakes, and compelling Adivasi children to carry a copy of the=20
Gita as a sign of loyalty to a religion they don=92t quite profess and=20
practise, being nature-worshippers.

For Gujarat=92s religious minorities, Mr Modi=92s rule is no different=20
from what Mr Slobodan Milosevic=92s reign was for Serbia=92s ethnic=20
minorities. Both are responsible for mass murder. Each day of Mr=20
Modi=92s continuation in office means more killing and violence. His=20
government must be unceremoniously sacked. Its rule is incompatible=20
with fundamental rights--including rights to life and=20
liberty--guaranteed by the Constitution. This is not a=20
party-political demand, but a prerequisite of democracy. Gujarat=92s=20
civil society organisations themselves demand this. They see no other=20
way out of the present crisis.

Gujarat=92s is precisely the kind of emergency situation for which=20
Articles 355 and 356 were envisaged. These empower the Centre to=20
dismiss a state government or deploy troops to enforce its compliance=20
with Central orders. Article 355 specifically says it is the =93the=20
duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression=20
and internal disturbance=94 and to ensure that its governance =93is=20
carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.=94

The Article derives, according to the legendary jurist H.M. Seervai,=20
from the US Constitution, where it was invoked against racist states=20
opposing de-segregation in schools. New Delhi in 1992 pleaded=20
helplessness in dealing with the Ramjanmaboomi campaign, on the=20
ground that an elected government was in power in Lucknow. This=20
dishonest plea must not be repeated today.

The case for Mr Modi=92s dismissal has gathered greater force with=20
reports that some 40,000 people who have taken refuge in temporary=20
shelters are being treated like concentration-camp prisoners. The=20
Gujarat government and the VHP are even blocking supplies of food and=20
clothing being rushed to them from Maharashtra. Mr Modi is blatantly=20
discriminatory in awarding Rs 2 lakhs as compensation for the dead in=20
Godhra and only half the amount for the others--if they are given=20
anything at all.

Putting Gujarat under President=92s rule alone won=92t be enough,=20
although it will make its administration more accountable. The Army=20
must deployed to take over law-and-order. We also need serious=20
assurance that Gujarat will not be further communalised under Home=20
Minister Advani=92s tender mercies. This assurance can only come in one=20
of two ways. Either all national parties set up a committee to=20
monitor and advise the administration under President=92s rule. This=20
could happen if President Narayanan expressly gives his advice and=20
the government respects it. Alternatively, there must be a directive=20
from the Supreme Court to Mr Vajpayee to restore normalcy, bring the=20
guilty to book, and decommunalise Gujarat.

The first is unlikely to happen, given the BJP=92s track record of=20
confrontationism vis-=E0-vis the Opposition. The second is seriously,=20
eminently, worth trying--without illusions, given the Supreme Court=92s=20
conservative evolution in recent years. Admittedly, these aren=92t=20
=93normal=94 or =93standard=94 solutions. One has some hesitation in=20
advocating them. The President is not the court of last resort. Nor=20
is the Supreme Court meant to advise on administrative or policy=20
matters. Nonetheless, in exceptional circumstances, such institutions=20
can be called upon to play slightly larger roles than their narrowly=20
defined remits.

Gujarat is an exceptional situation, an extreme case of communalism=20
eating into the state=92s vitals. This threatens to undermine numerous=20
institutions--police, political parties, impartiality of government=20
vis-=E0-vis ethnic-religious groups, and freedom of expression, as the=20
case of the Star-News channel shows. These institutions must be=20
energetically defended. There must be no passivity or complacency. No=20
one is safe from communalism=92s depredations--least of all, ordinary=20
citizens.

It is equally vital to prevent the Vajpayee government from cynically=20
using Gujarat as a shield to drive a dishonourable =93compromise=94 on=20
the Ayodhya issue, by illegally transferring a part of the 67-acre=20
land, or by allowing the VHP to perform bhoomi pujan on March 15=20
under fraudulent =93guarantees=94 which count for nothing. That would=20
violate the 1993 law taking over the Ayodhya land. Worse, it would be=20
a sordid act of appeasement of some of the worst enemies of Indian=20
democracy.--end--

_____

#5.

Stand Up To Save India!
Stand Up Against Engineered and Engulfing Insanity!

Ghastly Murders at Godhra
On the last 27th February in the early morning a
ghastly scene was enacted near the Godhra railway
station in south Gujarat. The Sabarmati Express coming
from Faizabad and heading for Ahmedabad was carrying a
large number of Karsevaks returning from Ayodhya in a
couple of coaches occupied by them. This was of course
no extraordinary event - a routine spectacle these
days. What, however, was shockingly different that
followed subsequently. After some reported clashes
between a section of the Karsevaks and the locals,
presumably Muslims, and a spate of aggressive slogan
shouting, the train was brought to a halt just after
it had left the station. An angry mob which sprang up
in no time assaulted the Karsevaks with stones, sticks
and other such weapons and subsequently at least one
of the reserved coaches was put on fire after being
doused with kerosene and petrol. Consequently about
sixty persons locked inside the compartment,
comprising adults, women and children, were burnt
alive.

Such acts of revolting barbarism are by no means
unknown in India, far less in the state of Gujarat.
But even then the sheer gruesomeness did not fail to
shock each and every conscientious Indian. The
criminal act attracted universal condemnation.

The Ghastlier Aftermath
But what followed subsequently was even more shocking.
In a vivid illustration of "stigmatise and emulate",
this gut-wrenching, and roundly condemned, methodology
of mass murder was adopted on a massive scale by the
goons of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal,
two affiliates of the Rashtriya Swaymsevak Sangh. All
over Gujarat Muslims, without the remotest connection
with the Godhra carnage, were made targets of such
bestial assaults in an orchestrated orgy of violence.
Muslim properties and means of livelihood were also
targeted for large scale destruction. Not only that,
places of worship by the Muslims were systematically
razed and makeshift temples erected in their stead.
Even tombs and graves have been converted into
temples, which in ordinary times any average Hindu
would look upon as a grave act of sacrilege against
his/her own religion. This evidently is a deliberate
attempt to not only intensify the feeling of
humiliation among the Muslims, and thereby cause
despair and alienation, but also bestow a sort of
permanency to the ugly scars of the present episode.
The fact that the riots started spreading to the
outlying countryside only after getting thwarted in
the cities, particularly Ahmedabad, further
underscored the non-spontaneous and highly organised
nature of the current wave of mass murder.

Shocking Complicity
The state government, led by the members from the
Sangh fraternity, did not fail to fulfil their duties
and obligations (to their mentors). The ministers, who
themselves are accused of actively participating in
earlier riots, issued incendiary statements and the
administration came out fully in support of the
organised gang of marauders. Not only the police kept
away from the most gruesome acts of violence, it has
been reported by members of a delegation, mainly
consisting of MPs, which visited Ahmedabad on 2nd
March that petrol for rioters were transported in
government vehicles.
The central government, led by the same forces, did
not remain far behind either. Deployment of army was
inordinately delayed, in spite of issuing placatory
statements. And nothing was done to ensure that the
armed forces were properly utilised to minimise loss
of life and property.

The Grave Damage
As a result of all this, the final death toll is
likely to end up somewhere near a thousand. The number
of injured would evidently be much higher. The loss of
assets, both productive and non-productive, must be in
terms of crores of rupees.
But the most serious damage that it has caused is in
the realm of popular psyche, the deep division that
has been etched out and sharply redrawn between the
two communities - "Hindu" and "Muslim".

The Politics Behind
The whole phenomenon becomes more easily
understandable if we keep in mind that at the moment,
the levers of state power in India is by and large
under the control of a political/ideological current
which is committed to promote in a planned and
systematic manner a heightened sense of contrived
insecurity, paranoia, hatred and aggression among the
majority of Indians to accentuate their "Hindu"
identity, in perpetual confrontation with the
adversarial and menacing "others", subjugating all
other identities e.g. class, caste, gender, ethnicity,
language etc., and mobilising them on that basis so as
to actualise the project of constructing/erecting a
"Hindu" nation-state (Hindu Rashtra) by demolishing
the rather impressive edifice of the
democratic-pluralist India which emerged through the
process and as the culmination of a long drawn out
anti-imperialist national liberation struggle suffused
with egalitarian, modernist and universalist values,
despite some serious pitfalls and shortcomings. Being
in control of the state-power, or its vital
components, they are uniquely advantaged to set the
agenda before the nation - whether by triggering off
nuclear explosions, dragging the country into an
extremely dangerous and open-ended armed confrontation
with nuclear Pakistan or creating a near-permanent
ambience of civil war - against the "enemy within".

The still continuing blood-letting in Gujarat, the
ascending tempo of the Mandir-Nirman movement, the cry
of "terrorist" menace, and the running feud with the
neighbouring Pakistan - all are in a way convergent
from this particular perspective and being made use of
to consolidate the "Hindu" identity in pursuance of
the "Hindu Rashtra" project which had been inaugurated
and unveiled back in 1925 at the birth of the RSS.
But the project in the recent days, very much unlike
in the spectacularly successful nineties, has suffered
a serious, though by no means irreversible, setback,
as is manifested in the latest round of election
results.
And precisely this has given a sense of urgency to the
"Hindutva" forces. Hence, the gory blood-letting in
Gujarat and the rising cacophony in Ayodhya - which
became the only alternative on their failure, under
explicit American pressure, to pursue the
confrontation with Pakistan to its logical, and maybe
horrendous, consequences . But that is also the
reason for the common people of India who have a
tremendous stake in the continuance of India as a
pluralist democratic state to counter this real "enemy
within" with a matching sense of urgency and
earnestness.

India at the Crossroads
Dear Friends, today India stands at the crossroads!
On the one hand, there is mounting revulsion amongst
us, the Indian people, against the current wave of
gory violence unleashed by the affiliates of the Sangh
Brigade. Even the NDA government at the Centre is
finding it not too easy to reconcile the politics of
unabashed sectarian violence with not only the
compulsions and obligations of a democratic polity,
which has taken some roots in India over the last
fifty years or so, but also with their economic agenda
of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation
(LPG). Hence, the talk of the "blot" on the India=92s
"image", but not on the "character".
On the other, emboldened by the state patronage and
vacillations, the votaries of "Hindu Rashtra" have
today most menacingly taken to the streets,
brandishing Trishuls and all, in Gujarat and Ayodhya
in complete defiance of "the rule of law" -
threatening to overwhelm the nation with an avalanche
of fresh sectarian violence and in the process
destroying India as it stands today. Any concession to
them, any surrender to their aggressive demands, will
only further embolden them, radically reverse the
balance of forces, and threaten India with complete
destruction!
So, Friends, it is time to stand up and to stand firm!
It is time to make our voices heard and demand the
following of the Indian Government to start the
process of healing of the deep scars and damages
caused to "India" by the marauding goons.

Let Us Demand :
=B7 Immediate and complete stoppage of rioting by taking
all necessary administrative measures including proper
utilisation of the Army.
=B7 Immediate dismissal of the Gujarat Chief Minister
and Home Minister for abdication of their duties and
worse.
=B7 Immediate arrest of the perpetrators of violence, in
Godhra and elsewhere, under the same set of common
criminal laws. The infamous and anti-democratic POTO
must not be resorted to.
=B7 Adequate relief and rehabilitation measures for all
the victims of violence, in Godhra and elsewhere, on a
war footing following a uniform standard.
=B7 Restoration of status quo ante as regards all the
places of worship.
=B7 Institution of a single judicial commission headed
by a sitting Supreme Court judge, assisted by a
dedicated team of investigators, to go into the
background, causes, actual events of Godhra and the
violence that followed, and remedial measures for
future - within a given timeframe. Its recommendations
must be mandatory.
=B7 A special court to try expeditiously all those found
guilty prima facie.
=B7 As regards, Ayodhya dispute, the rule of law must be
upheld. Status quo to remain undisturbed till the
final court verdict is delivered. The Supreme Court to
be requested to expedite. All threats to defy law to
be strictly dealt with.

_______

#6. [Note by Shamsul Islam, India]

KNOW THE RSS-GANG IN FULL
RSS is a clandestine organization like any other fascist organization. It
runs a well-organized mafia through its subsidiaries. There has always been
much confusion about its different fronts that provide RSS with the
opportunity to dissociate with any of these as per its convenience. For
instance it used Hindu Jagaran Manch (HJM) for attacking Christians in late
90's and when public opinion, media and Parliament seemed to turn against
it, RSS denied any relation with HJM. Recently, when nefarious designs of
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Dharam Sansad were exposed before th=
e
Nation, RSS announced that these were independent organizations.
Interestingly, it became a mediator between BJP Government and these fronts=
.
But now the whole nexus can be known. The central publication house of the
RSS, the Suruchi Prakashan,
Jhandewalan, New Delhi, published a book in 1997(now rare as it was
withdrawn soon), Param Vaibhav Ke Path Par (ON THE ROAD TO GREAT GLORY) by
Sadanand Damodar Sapre, a senior RSS functionary. They had to withdraw the
book in order to hide inter-connections with many of these for the obvious
reason that these organizations were either indulging in violent activities
or minting money and coming under public scrutiny.
This book contains details of more than 40 organizations created by the RSS
for different tasks. The preface of the book itself declares that "without
the knowledge of the different kinds of activities of the Sawyamsevaks (the
volunteers of the RSS) the introduction of the RSS is incomplete. Keeping
this in mind it has been attempted in this book to produce the brief
information about the diverse activities of the Sawyamsevaks. This book
covers the organizational status till 1996.We believe that this book will
prove to be of use for those who want to understand the RSS with the
Swyamsevaks".
It will be interesting to know that many of these organizations have been
organized on a true fascist and clandestine manner. For instance while givi=
n
g the details of Hindu Jagaran Manch (HJM), the book says, "From the point
of view of Hindu awakening this kind of forums (HJM) at present are active
in 17 states with different names like 'Hindu Manch' in Delhi, 'Hindu Munan=
i
' in Tamilnadu, 'Hinduekjut' in Maharashtra. These are forums, not
associations or organizations, that's why it is not required to have
membership, registeration and elections". It is clear that these work as
mafia to avoid scrutiny by law and government. Such an organizational mode
provides an opportunity to RSS to disown anybody.
Following is the list of organizations mentioned in the RSS book. The seria=
l
numbering
is the same as in the book. The bracket has been added to explain the
nature and function of each organization.
1. AKHIL BHARTIYA VIDHYARTHI PARISHAD (STUDENT)
2. VIDYA BHRATI (EDUCATION)
3. BJP (POLITICAL)
4. VHP, BAJRANG DAL, DURGA VAHINI, DHARAM SANSAD OR RELIGIOUS PARLIAMENT
(ANTI-MINORITY).
RSS INSISTS THAT DHARAM SANSAD IS THE HIGHEST SUPREME BODY OF HINDUS. THIS
BOOK TELLS US THAT, "VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD ESTABLISHED DHARAM SANSAD IN
1984". IT MEANS THAT DHARAM SANSAD OR THE RELIGIOUS PARLIAMENT IS A PUPPE=
T
IN THE HANDS OF VHP.
5. AKHIL BHARATI VANVASI KALYAN ASHRAM (TRIBAL)
6. BHARTIYA MAZDOOR SANGH (WORKING CLASS)
7. BHARTIYA KISAN SANGH (PEASANTS)
8. RASHTRA SEVIKA SAMITI (SOCIAL WORK)
9. SEWA BHARATI AND TATSAM (SOCIAL WORK. THESE TWO HAVE TAKEN OVER ALL
GOVERNMENTAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES IN SLUMS AND POOR AREAS EVEN IN CITIES LIKE
DELHI, WHICH HAS CONGRESS GOVERNMENT. THESE R BASICALLY FRONTS TO DIVERT
GOVERNMENT FUNDS TO THE RSS. RECENTLY GOT LICENCE FOR SENDING ADOPTED KIDS
OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY )
10. VISHVA VIBHAG (FOREIGN AFFAIRS)
11. AKHIL BHARTIYA RASHTRIYA SHEKSHIK MAHASANGH (EDUCATION)
12. BHARTIYA SHIKSHA MANDAL (EDUCATION)
13. RASHTRIYA SIKH SANGAT (SIKHS)
14. SWADESHI JAGARAN MANCH (ECONOMICS, GETS CRORES OF RUPEES FROM GOVERNMEN=
T
DEPARTMENTS)
15. DEEN DAYAL SHODH SANSTHAN (INTELLECTUAL)
16. BHARAT VIKAS PARISHAD (LIKE NO. 9)
17. BHARTIYA ITIHAS SANKALAN YOJNA (HISTORY)
18. SANSKRIT BHARATI (SANSKRIT LANGUAGE- FAVOURITE OF UGC THESE DAYS)
19. SANSKAR BHARATI (CULTURE, WAS IN THE FORE-FRONT AGAINST ARTIST HUSSAIN
AND FILMS LIKE FIRE)
20. AKHIL BHARTI ADHIVAKTA PARISHAD (LAWYERS)
21. HINDU JAGARAN MANCH (AGAINST MINORITIES. THE TERRIBLE ATTACKS ON
CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS IN GUJARAT AND OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WERE OWNED
BY IT )
22.SAMAJIK SAMRASTA MANCH (ANTI-RESERVATION FRONT)
23. AKHIL BHARTIYA SAHITYA PARISHAD (HISTORY)
24. PRAGYA BHARATI (RELIGIOUS)
25. VIGYAN BHARATI (SCIENCE)
26. LAGHU UDYOG BHARATI ( INDUSTRY. HUGE GOVERNMENT FUNDS AVAILABLE)
27. AKHIL BHARTIYA GRAHSK PANCHAYAT (CONSUMERS)
28. SEHKAR BHARATI (CO-OPERATIVE. GETS HUGE GOVERNMENT FUNDS)
29. POORVA SAINIK SEWA PARISHAD (EX-SERVICEMEN)
30. BHARAT PRAKASHAN (PUBLISHES ORGANS OF RSS LIKE ORGANIZER)
31. SURUCHI PRAKASHAN, DELHI (PUBLICATION)
32. LOKHIT PRAKASHAN, LUCKNOW (")
33. GYAN GANGA PRAKASHAN, JAIPUR (")
34. ARCHANA PRAKASHAN, BHOPAL (")
35. AKASHVANI PRAKASHAN, JULLUNDUR (")
36. BHARTIYA VICHAR SADHANA, NAGPUR (")
37. SADHANA PRAKASHAN, GUJARAT (")
& ABOUT 10 MORE PUBLICATION HOUSES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

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