[sacw] SACW #2 | 06 Mar. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch #2 | 06 March 2002

__________________________

#1. PRESS RELEASE by The Alliance for A Secular and Democratic South=20
Asia (Boston)
#2. Hindus Turn Against Symbols - After Killing Rampage, Indian=20
Mosque Destroyed (Rajiv Chandrasekaran)
#3. Proposal for A Secularism Garden at Ayodhya (Prof. Chithra=20
KarunaKaran, New York)
#4. India: In Search of Reality (Sultan Shahin)
#5. Police reports name VHP, BJP leaders
#6. Stop Any Move For Appeasement of VHP - Press Statement by CPM
#7. Fear for safety 5 March 2002 INDIA - Population of Ahmedabad,=20
Gujarat (Amnesty International)
#8. Interview with Achyut Yagnik
#9. Silent march in Ahmedabad to protest violence
#10. When the mob rules (Rajdeep Sardesai)
#11. The image of India's future? (Radhika Desai)
#12. Perils before the nation (Rajindar Sachar)
#13. If you are concerned about the events in Gujarat, Speak up -=20
make your views known to some in the corridors of power , here is a=20
list of some addresses

________________________

#1.

[ 5 March 2002, Boston, MA, USA]

PRESS RELEASE by The Alliance for A Secular and Democratic South Asia

The Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia is deeply anguished at
the outbreak of religious violence in India. We condemn the violence at
Godhra that resulted in the grisly murder of Hindu activists on the
Sabarmati Express and are outraged at the ongoing and organized communal
violence in its aftermath that has claimed the lives of more than 500
people, largely Muslims. We express profound sadness and grief for all the
victims and their families.

The systematic and deliberate communalization of society by the Hindu
nationalists (BJP, VHP, RSS, and the Bajrang Dal) since the mid-1980s has
unleashed a cycle of violence that tears at the very fabric of plural,
multi-cultural India. In the past few years, in Gujrat, the VHP, Bajrang
Dal, and the RSS have been implicated in inciting religious riots, burning
of churches, and intimidation of minorities. The VHP and the BJP governmen=
t
in Gujrat also bear primary responsibility for the most recent carnage. The=
y
have fanned and aided the contentious and inflammatory issue of the creatio=
n
of a Hindu temple at the site of the historic Babri Mosque, which was
demolished in 1992 by the same forces. Furthermore, the Gujrat State and
Central administrative authorities have failed utterly in their duty to
protect lives and maintain peace and communal harmony.

The use of religion for political gains, which demonizes people of differen=
t
religious persuasions and sanctions murder and mayhem, is a crime against
humanity. We appeal to the residents of the greater Boston area to come to
a peace vigil at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, March 5 at Copley Square where we will
join the weekly vigils for peace organized by the United for Peace with
Justice coalition.

We will gather at Copley Square to stand in mourning for the victims of
religious violence and in solidarity with the people of India who have
steadfastly and resolutely opposed the forces of religious bigotry.

_____

#2.

The Washington Post
Tuesday, March 5, 2002; Page A01

HINDUS TURN AGAINST SYMBOLS
After Killing Rampage, Indian Mosque Destroyed
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Washington Post Foreign Service

AHMADABAD, India, March 4 -- Built of brick and covered with=20
lime-colored paint, the Manchaji mosque attracted hundreds of Muslims=20
for daily prayers for more than 80 years.

Today, it drew hundreds of Hindu militants, many wielding=20
sledgehammers, metal rods and shovels. They knocked down the minarets=20
and smashed through the walls. They hoisted saffron-colored, Hindu=20
nationalist flags atop the rubble. And on a concrete slab in the=20
center of the compound, they erected an orange, foot-tall idol of the=20
monkey god Hanuman, surrounded by coconuts and flower petals.

"Victory to Lord Hanuman," the Hindus shouted. "Victory to Hindus."

Late last week, in the country's worst religious riots in a decade,=20
Hindus slaughtered hundreds of Muslims and drove thousands more from=20
their homes in this teeming city in western India. Today, as deserted=20
Muslim neighborhoods smoldered, Hindus went on a different sort of=20
rampage, doing their best to obliterate any Muslim symbols they could=20
find. [...] .

Full Text at :=20
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38276-2002Mar4.html

_____

#3.

March 3, 2002
Professor Chithra KarunaKaran
New York, New York

SECULARISM GARDEN AT AYODHYA

Let us build a Secularism Garden at Ayodhya. Let us build a place of=20
beauty, to remind ourselves daily that DEMOCRACY is a journey, a=20
process as well as a destination, that SECULARISM is a journey, a=20
process as well as a destination. If Secularism is a process, then=20
we can understand that all processes involve trial and error.=20
Sometimes we try and we fail. Sometimes we try and we succeed. We=20
failed when we destroyed the Babri Masjid. We failed when we killed=20
innocent women and children traveling on the Sabarmatic Express,=20
ironically named for Gandhiji's sanctuary of peace by the river of=20
the same name. That Prince of Peace would have been saddened by the=20
Godhra events and the retaliations thereafter. He would have been=20
aghast at the deaths of 400 plus and counting. He would have begun a=20
fast. He would have traveled into the riot-torn areas. He would=20
have raised our conscience. He would have shamed the perpetrators.=20
Perhaps he may have even considered the building of a Secularism=20
Garden at Ayodhya.

Secularism is a constitutional guarantee. It is therefore a legally=20
binding provision on the elected leaders to uphold the constitutional=20
protection of support for the way in which each Indian chooses to=20
love their God. The RSS, BJP and the VHP attacked that constitutional=20
guarantee when they colluded in 1992 to destroy a Muslim place of=20
worship. Every Indian, regardless of religion or political=20
affiliation should have felt threatened by that attack. Now, all=20
Indians should exercise their constitutionally protected RIGHT to=20
Secularism by throwing out of office every elected official from the=20
Prime Minister on down, who threatens our hard-fought, hard-won,=20
secular society. Similarly we should reject every unelected person=20
whether he pretends to speak for Hindus, like Pamahans, or to speak=20
for Muslims from Delhi's Juma Masjid. These rabble rousers are=20
holding us Indians back from progress towards a fully participatory=20
and progressive civil society. Their agenda of hatred, bias and=20
intolerance is a danger to our secular ideals

Let us celebrate Secularism in the midst of hatred and intolerance of=20
the beliefs of our fellow citizens. Let us see the VHP and their=20
adherents for who they really are - Hindu Nazis. Equally, let us=20
condemn Muslim fanaticists who climbed onto the Sabarmati Express=20
with hate in their hearts and gasoline and lighted torches in their=20
hands. We are their victims, whether we were train passengers on the=20
Sabarmati Express or living in New York or in the Gulf. Today I am a=20
victim of anti-secularist hatred and intolerance. And I am fighting=20
back. With Peace and Love as my answer to the murder and mayhem of=20
the past week. I know hundreds of Indians and South Asians who feel=20
this way. We can agree to disagree on many points. But we cannot=20
compromise on the ideal, the goal, the practice of Secularism. More=20
than being a Hindu, I am a secularist.

The Garden of Secularism in Ayodhya. What will it look like?=20
Assuredly, there will be flowers blooming in beauteous profusion,=20
trees, grasses and shrubs. There will be fountains playing. There=20
will be benches for people to sit and reflect on the worthy goal of=20
Secularism. There will be grassy knolls where families can picnic.=20
School children will visit with their families and with their=20
teachers.=20

What else will there be at the Garden of Secularism in Ayodhya?=20
There will be a Museum with stirring multimedia presentations=20
re-living the tumultuous days leading to Independence. We will=20
celebrate the fact that we as Indians chose secularism over narrow=20
and bigoted notions of religious identity. The Museum will venerate=20
the architects of Secularism - Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Nehru and=20
others. Those same laughing schoolchildren, now suddenly somber, will=20
make notes as they listen to the presentations and watch the=20
videotapes. Visitors will sign the Guest Book and write their=20
heartfelt thoughts.

The Museum on the grounds of the Garden of Secularism at Ayodhya will=20
be uncompromisingly and brutally honest. Indians will be reminded=20
that on many occasions we have failed to appreciate and foster=20
secularism. Perhaps there will be pictures of the destruction of the=20
Babri Masjid as well the carnage at Godhra. Perhaps, as we stroll=20
through the leafy pathways or sit under the tamarind and guava and=20
mango trees in the Garden of Secularism we will learn that Democracy=20
is not an easy endeavor. Perhaps we will learn that Secularism is a=20
road filled with rocks and boulders and that we will have to lift=20
each one and set it aside as we move towards a genuine respect for=20
the beliefs of others. Our South Asian neighbors will learn that=20
India is a place where we will never give up the struggle for=20
Secularism and that the Godhra innocents have not died in vain.=20
Perhaps each visitor will re-dedicate herself or himself to the ideal=20
of secularism. Perhaps each Hindu will seek out a Sikh or Christian=20
or Muslim or Buddhist or Jain friend and try to grasp the complexity=20
of that person's spiritual quest. Let us defeat the hatemongers who=20
think their religion is superior. Let us support all those=20
secularists who think that India's greatness lies in her continuing,=20
unconditional support for the spiritual aspirations of each of her=20
billion plus citizens.

The Garden of Secularism cannot be built by only one group of=20
Indians. It will take the sincere effort of every Indian no matter=20
whether s/he lives in Kanyakumari or Kargil, Abu Dhabi or Ahmedabad,=20
Silicon Valley or Singapore.

Let the Garden bloom through the love and the hard work of each and=20
every one of us.

_____

#4.

Asia Times
March 5, 2002

INDIA: IN SEARCH OF REALITY
By Sultan Shahin

NEW DELHI - India is back from the brink of a civil war. For the=20
moment. Or until March 15, the date fixed by Hindu fundamentalists=20
for starting the building of a temple at the site of a razed mosque=20
in defiance of orders by the country's highest court.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is apparently engaged in trying=20
to pacify the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Congress), a=20
sister organization of his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) that leads a=20
disparate coalition of 20 secular and two Hindu fundamentalist=20
parties running the central government.
Vajpayee has requested the parent body of all Hindu fundamentalist=20
organizations, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) to help mediate=20
between the government and the VHP, the organization which in the RSS=20
scheme of division of labor has been given the task of defying the=20
law, as his own BJP has been given the task of making and protecting=20
the law.
The ultimate goal of the RSS is to establish the primacy of Hindutva=20
(or Hinduism) in the South Asian sub-continent. In his recent visit=20
to New York, Vajpayee had himself reminded the world that as a=20
lifelong swayamsewak (member of the RSS), he is himself committed to=20
the goal of Hindutva domination.
But the RSS division of labor is so successful that many a time even=20
seasoned observers of the Indian scene begin to treat the variety of=20
organizations linked to what is called the Sangh parivar (literally=20
the Hindu fundamentalist family) as separate, thus taking seriously=20
the kind of shadow-boxing that is, for instance, going on now between=20
the BJP and the VHP, with RSS as the mediator.
If the country has come back from the brink for the moment, the=20
credit goes largely to the majority Hindu community, which has by and=20
large refused to participate in a Bharat Bandh (Stop India or Close=20
India) call given by the VHP to protest the killing of 60 passengers=20
of a train bringing militant Hindu volunteers for the building of the=20
Ram temple in Ayodhya to Ahmedabad, the capital city of the western=20
Indian state of Gujarat, the scene of the horrendous earthquake a=20
couple of years ago in which several thousand people died.
The VHP train was attacked and people burnt alive at a small station=20
in Gujarat state called Godhra. Local Muslims, enraged by the=20
provocative slogans of the Hindu militants, are alleged to have=20
engaged in this dastardly act. But, though an official enquiry is yet=20
to begin, opinion is crystallizing now that the Godhra incident,=20
which set off a wave of reprisal killings that has claimed more than=20
450 lives, must have been a pre-planned affair. An enraged crowd=20
cannot organize petrol bombs in a matter of minutes.
Most observers find it difficult to believe that a 2,000-strong=20
Muslim crowd armed with stones, knives, swords and petrol bombs, as=20
is being claimed, could gather at the railway station of a small=20
communally-sensitive town, in an atmosphere charged with tension on=20
account of the VHP temple-building exercise, without the police=20
becoming aware of it. Indeed, 30 policemen were posted at the railway=20
station itself, just outside of which the train was stopped and one=20
of its coaches burnt.
"That they could stop the train by pulling the chain, pelt stones,=20
compelling the passengers to draw up the shutters, and thereafter=20
bolt the doors from outside and set fire to the bogies, and do all=20
this at leisure, suggests a deep conspiracy. Surely none of this=20
could have been done without preparation, direction and leadership,"=20
says India's largest circulated newspaper, The Times of India.
Defense Minister George Fernandes has pointed fingers at Pakistan's=20
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Home Ministry sources talk about=20
Godhra police having been informed about a few Pakistanis who had=20
stayed there beyond their visa limits, though they couldn't do=20
anything about it in time. But junior Foreign Minister Omar Abdullah=20
surprisingly claimed that for once the ISI doesn't appear to be=20
involved. Local police have, however, finally started claiming ISI=20
responsibility.
Independent observers point fingers darkly at the local BJP=20
government headed by RSS pracharak (preacher) Narendra Mody, recently=20
inducted into government with the specific purpose of keeping the BJP=20
in power in the state where, until this incident, it was considered=20
bound to lose in the forthcoming elections in view of colossal=20
inefficiency, widespread corruption and venality displayed by the=20
government, particularly since the earthquake.
Modi desperately needs to divert attention from the functioning of=20
his government and has seen that nothing that his party's chief=20
ministers have done in other states in a similar predicament has=20
worked over the past several years. He is accused of gross negligence=20
and total failure, if not complicity.
Gujarat is incidentally the only average-sized state where the BJP=20
still rules. It also rules in two small states, Himachal Pradesh and=20
Jharkhand. Ever since the BJP-led government came to power at the=20
center three years ago, it has lost practically every election at the=20
state or local self-government level throughout the country. The BJP=20
lost in the most recent elections for four state assemblies, three of=20
which it was ruling, including the largest and crucial Uttar Pradesh=20
(UP).
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the party was able to=20
organize an effective bandh (strike) only in Gujarat. Maintaining law=20
and order is primarily the duty of the state government in India's=20
quasi-federal set-up, though the central government is ultimately=20
responsible and has the powers to even dismiss the state government=20
if it fails. In this case, the BJP is the ruling party both in the=20
state and at the center.
"The real question is whether there is a method to Modi's madness.=20
That he refused to allow the administration to take any action is not=20
in doubt anymore. Take the case of the defense minister's personal=20
safety; even there the district administration failed," a senior=20
Union Home Ministry official was quoted as saying to the Hindustan=20
Times.
Many observers are asking such questions. Noted columnist Pankaj=20
Vohra, for instance, poses the following questions: "Is there a=20
distinct method or pattern to the violence Gujarat? Is the BJP all=20
set to revive the Hindutva agenda it had abandoned temporarily, to=20
agree to a common minimum program with its allies in the NDA=20
[National Democratic Alliance]? And would the BJP's poor poll showing=20
have anything to do with all this?"
The manner in which disturbances were allowed to spread all over the=20
state could be a part of an overall strategic plan by the Sangh=20
Parivar to polarize Hindu votes. The Godhra incident would have come=20
in handy to put such a devious plan into action.
Like several other observers, Vohra views the entire scenario in the=20
context of a series of failed plans the BJP had put into operation in=20
order to both polarize the Hindu votes and to recapture power in=20
Uttar Pradesh and some other states. The electorate was not convinced=20
and the party suffered heavy reverses in all the four states in the=20
recent assembly polls. The message was clear: the end is near. The=20
voters had rejected the BJP in the most emphatic manner.
The failed "plan number one" was to promulgate the Prevention of=20
Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) on the plea that it was needed to curb=20
terrorism in India. The obvious motive was that since most recent=20
terrorist acts were committed by Muslims, the new law would be widely=20
used against members of that community. In fact, POTO was an=20
electoral weapon which was aimed at polarizing Hindu votes. Under it,=20
the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was banned. But the=20
poll results have proved that this plan didn't succeed.
The failed second plan was to whip up war hysteria by heavy=20
deployment of troops along India's borders with Pakistan. In the=20
process, thousands of families were uprooted from their agricultural=20
land and suffered heavy economic losses. The top BJP leadership=20
contributed to the war hysteria by evasive answers to pointed=20
questions. The party secretly hoped that since Pakistan was enemy=20
number one, the war hysteria would lead to the consolidation of the=20
party and its allies in the four states. But there was no war and=20
people (read voters) saw through this plan too.
The failed third plan was to play the Ram Temple card through the=20
VHP, whose leaders announced March 15 as the date for starting temple=20
reconstruction. Simultaneously, the prime minister made a statement a=20
day before polling in the last phase of UP elections, that his party=20
did not need Muslim support. After the statement was published in the=20
media and widely criticized, he chose to remain silent on the subject=20
for two days; only after the last minute of polling did he issue a=20
clarification.
Finally, the familiar spectacle of the VHP-BJP-PM tussle on the=20
Ayodhya issue dominated the headlines since it has rightly or wrongly=20
dawned on the RSS that it is only through the communal card and the=20
temple issue that the saffron brigade can once again rise from the=20
ruins it now finds itself in.
To build up the hysteria, VHP functionaries have been issuing=20
inflammatory statements, knowing full well that they can get away=20
with anything as a "friendly government" iis in power at the center.=20
As part of this build up, the kar sewaks (militant volunteers=20
prepared to defy the law for building the temple) from different=20
parts of the country have been moving in and out of Ayodhya.
The revival of the Hindutva agenda was on the cards in any case,=20
concludes Vohra, in a comment typical of most secular observers. The=20
gory incident at Godhra perhaps reinforces the belief of some of the=20
supporters of the Sangh Parivar that there is no way out but to=20
support the Hindu fundamentalist party.
Speaking briefly to the nation three days after the Gujarat carnage=20
began, Vajpayee was not far wrong when he termed it as a "blot" on=20
the nation's image which has damaged India's reputation in the=20
international community. He voiced confidence on Saturday that the=20
current frenzy would be controlled and communal harmony restored in=20
the state. He said that incidents of persons, including women and=20
children, being torched alive in some parts of the country, cast a=20
stigma and would hurt the prestige of the nation all over the world.=20
He appealed to people to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
A prime minister, however, should be able to do more than issue=20
appeals over television channels. But perhaps in the RSS division of=20
labor, he has not been assigned the job of doing something positive.
Unwittingly, however, he revealed the real malaise of the Indian=20
state - concern with the image, not with the reality. From the=20
country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the present day,=20
all India's administrations have been more worried about what the=20
world thinks of India.
Today, India is waiting for a prime minister who will realize that=20
the world is no fool: it knows how to distinguish between the=20
contrived image and the reality.

_____

#5.

The Times of India
TUESDAY, MARCH 05, 2002
Police reports name VHP, BJP leaders
AP
AHMEDABAD: Police reports have named Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)=20
leaders and activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), as=20
commanding mobs that burned to death more than 100 people in a=20
shantytown and an affluent neighborhood during riots in the state.=20
[...].
http://203.199.93.7/Articleshow.asp?art_id=3D2880524

______

#6.

March 5, 2002

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued=20
the following statement:

Stop Any Move For Appeasement of VHP

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) wishes to=20
make it clear that the Vajpayee government is bound to maintain the=20
status quo at the disputed site at Ayodhya and the acquired land=20
around it. The CPI(M) wishes to warn the government that any move to=20
allow puja at the "shilanyas" site which is part of the acquired land=20
or, handing over any portion of the acquired land to the VHP would be=20
a surrender to the VHP and subversion of the rule of law.

The proposal mooted by the Shankaracharya Shri Jayendra Saraswati on=20
these lines is not acceptable as the VHP had made it clear that it=20
sticks to the original blueprint for temple construction whereby the=20
sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be located at the spot where the=20
Babri Masjid stood. To allow a formal move for construction by doing=20
puja at the shilanyas site or to handover any portion of the acquired=20
land at this stage would mean accepting the VHP's plan for=20
construction.

Such a move will flout the Supreme Court directive that nothing=20
should be done till the title deed suit being heard at the Lucknow=20
Bench of the Allahabad High Court is decided through the judicial=20
process.

The country will not tolerate any repetition of the past history of=20
surrender to communal pressures which can lead to serious disruption=20
of national unity.

The Polit Bureau appeals to all secular and democratic forces to=20
realise the danger of the moves being made by the BJP and the Central=20
Government and unitedly demand that the Prime Minister stick to the=20
position he stated earlier that the matter can now be resolved only=20
on the basis of the court decision.

_____

#7.

Amnesty International
PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 20/003/2002
EXTRA 19/02 Fear for safety 5 March 2002
INDIA Population of Ahmedabad, Gujarat

At least 242 people have been killed in the city of Ahmedabad since=20
communal violence and rioting broke out on 28 February. Police have=20
reportedly obstructed the work of NGOs and other organisations=20
willing to take in relief supplies. Amnesty International is=20
concerned that without these essential supplies, and the presence of=20
neutral organisations to calm the situation, more people may die.

On 27 February, 58 people were killed in Gujarat in an attack on a=20
train carrying Hindu activists. This triggered retaliatory violence=20
against the Muslim minority in large parts of the state, including=20
Ahmedabad. At least 580 people have been killed since the violence=20
began.

Reports from Ahmedabad suggest that police may have taken=20
insufficient action to protect the population of the city during the=20
riots, and are now obstructing the work of NGOs bringing relief=20
supplies to the victims.

Since 3 March a number of local and international NGOs have=20
reportedly tried to enter the walled area of Ahmedabad. However the=20
police and the city administration have either refused to let them=20
in, or failed to provide the protection essential for them to enter=20
the area in safety.

These organisations are trying to provide medical assistance, food=20
and water to people in the walled area of Ahmedabad and in the 19=20
camps set up inside the city, where 32,000 people who have fled=20
their homes are living. They are trying to provide sanitation=20
facilities and shelter to those whose homes have been destroyed in=20
the violence. They are also trying to assist relatives of those=20
killed to identify and collect bodies from the city hospitals.=20
Without this intervention they believe that diseases could spread in=20
the city.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as=20
possible, in English or your own language: -calling on the Ahmedabad=20
Police Commissioner to ensure that his officers provide equal=20
protection to all citizens of Ahmedabad and to ensure that relief=20
supplies reach the victims, irrespective of their religion or=20
political beliefs; -expressing concern at reports that police and the=20
civil administration in Ahmedabad have refused to allow relief=20
supplies into the walled area of the city; -urging the authorities=20
to allow NGOs and other organizations into the riot-hit areas of the=20
city and to provide them with full cooperation and protection so=20
that they can bring relief to the victims of the violence.

APPEALS TO: (Fax numbers may be difficult to reach. Please keep trying.)

Head of police at city level
Mr. Pandey
Police Commissioner Office of the Commissioner of Police Shahibag=20
Ahmedabad 380004 Gujarat India Telegrams:
Police Commissioner Pandey, Shahibag, Ahmedabad 380004, Gujarat, India
Faxes: + 91 79 5630600
Salutation: Dear Police Commissioner

Head of Ahmedabad civil administration
Mr. Srinivas
District Collector District Collectorate Gheekata Ahmedabad 380004=20
Gujarat India
Telegrams: District Collector Srinivas, Gheekata, Ahmedabad 380004,=20
Gujarat, India
Faxes: + 91 79 5508345 / + 91 79 5508445
Salutation: Dear District Collector

COPIES TO:

Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. N. Modi
Sardar Bhavan, Sachivalaya Block No.1, 5th Floor Gandhinagar 382=20
010 Gujarat India
Faxes: + 91 79 3222101 / + 91 79 3222020

and to diplomatic representatives of India accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International=20
Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 31=20
March 2002.

______

#8.

Rediff.com March 5, 2002
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/05inter.htm

Interview

The Rediff Interview / Achyut Yagnik

Achyut Yagnik, a socio-political analyst based in Ahmedabad, has=20
studied the Ayodhya movement in depth, having co-authored the book=20
Creating a Nationality: Ramjanambhoomi Movement and the Fear of the=20
Self. Here he discusses the Gujarat carnage with Senior Editor Sheela=20
Bhatt. Excerpts:

Can you throw some light on the incident in Godhra?

I think there was a large-scale mobilisation of VHP people in=20
Ahmedabad. Inspired by Pravin Togadia they were going to Ayodhya. VHP=20
has the strongest base in Gujarat. The atmosphere was surcharged. I=20
would compare this incident with the Bombay blasts of 1992. This was=20
a retaliation by Muslim fundamentalists.

What was the provocation here?

The mobilisation at Ayodhya was the provocation. Karsevaks were going=20
to Ayodhya with the support of BJP MLAs and MPs. The railways too=20
obliged by giving three extra bogies. One should not forget that at=20
the grassroots level the Sangh Parivar is one. The central and state=20
governments had not taken any serious action to stop this=20
mobilisation.

Naturally, when karsevaks pass through such semi-tribal belts, they=20
become a soft target for Muslim fundamentalists. We have to condemn=20
their violence. But no one would buy the [George] Fernandes line that=20
this is an ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] act. This is the result=20
of the mindset of Muslims. It's the result of the wounded ego of=20
Muslims. It is the same for the BJP. Wounded egos are on both sides.

Muslims are feeling dejected over the development in Afghanistan and=20
Pakistan. And the BJP is down because of the drubbing in the recent=20
elections. The situation is complex. There is a contradiction between=20
the VHP and Sangh Parivar on one side and the BJP at the Centre. In=20
Delhi they have to defend the government and retain power.

Most important to remember while discussing today's violence is that=20
in the 1990 rathyatra of Advani, the present [Gujarat] CM [Narendra]=20
Modi and Home Minister Gordhan Zadafia were very close to Advani.=20
People who are in charge of law and order are riding the tiger they=20
have created. They are now being asked to control it. I am talking=20
about the VHP, which is the creation of Modi. He outlined the broader=20
philosophy behind it with senior Sangh leaders.

Godhra was a highly incendiary incident.

Agreed. But we cannot put law and order aside. I am ashamed of being=20
a Gujarati, ashamed to see the carnage that has followed Godhra.

No one can justify the violence in Godhra. But I expect law and order=20
in my country. On February 28 the writ of the police commissioner was=20
just not there in Ahmedabad. Just near the police commissioner's=20
office you burn down a masjid, you burn down the state secretariat=20
near the CM's office! Where is the government? Where is governance?=20
How far can you go to take revenge?

Do you think Gujaratis knew that something like this would follow Godhra?

Yes, yes. Many predicted it. We have a communal history.

Can you throw some light on the Gujarati mob mentality?

Read Gujarati newspapers. They are the mirror image of mob mentality.=20
They are justifying everything under the excuse of retaliation! It's=20
interesting to note... sorry, that's a wrong word... It's paradoxical=20
to note that on the one hand middle-class people are justifying the=20
Hindu retaliation, but are not very much happy in their hearts to see=20
the violence. On the other, the Sangh Parivar crowd, which too=20
justifies Hindu retaliation, is not too happy about the development.

The story of the kidnapped girl and a woman whose breasts were cut=20
are bogus. Newspapers have corrected their version without an=20
apology. These stories were fed by people who are happy about the=20
degree of retaliation. The CM and home minister in Gujarat were not=20
just complacent; neither did they just misread the situation. They=20
are VHP people. Both have the VHP mindset. Both belong to the middle=20
class who would be happy about the violence if Hindus retaliated. Eye=20
for an eye is the primitive concept, and the VHP believes in it.

Why is it that most Gujaratis do not like the word 'secular'?

In the '80s, the Gujarati middle class was struggling for an=20
identity. They found an identity in the form of Hindutva as=20
propagated by the Sangh Parivar. They could not find the religious=20
identity in the Bhakti tradition that they were following since many=20
generations. Gandhian traditions now don't play any part in their=20
life. In Gujarat there are a number of flourishing sects competing=20
with each other. They too have contributed to the VHP mindset of=20
Gujaratis.

The divide between urban and rural areas is not as much as in Uttar=20
Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh. For a number of families, one foot is in=20
the village and another in the city. All these combine to make one=20
big group.

The NRI Gujaratis have also played a big role. They feel like=20
second-class citizens over there. They are in search of a meaningful=20
identity. NRIs have to prove their identity in a foreign land and=20
they find the answer in supporting Hindutva.

Are Gujarati Muslims different from others?

After the 1992 riots Muslim professionals have withdrawn into=20
themselves or migrated to the West. And the lower class is as bad or=20
as good as any others.

You still have not explained Gujarat's violent mindset which is not=20
visible otherwise.

See, because of Mahatma Gandhi there is a widespread perception that=20
Gujaratis are peace-loving. Because of the freedom struggle and=20
non-violence movement this notion has solidified. But we are like any=20
other part of India. We had feudalism, we had the tradition of female=20
infanticide, most of us are non-vegetarians. We are not just traders.=20
It's an absolutely wrong notion. The majority of us are dalits and=20
backwards, not business people as India thinks. We have a bloody=20
tradition of Hindu-Muslim riots. I don't think we are different. We=20
are as normal as Indians are.

Does the VHP have the same kind of support in Gujarat as it had before?

I think the VHP will have to come down on their demand in their talks=20
with the Centre. See, without the BJP in power what is left for the=20
VHP? What can they do? They will settle for a compromise. I very much=20
think so.

Modi and Zadafia in Gandhinagar are unaware that if you allow the=20
police to be lenient you will lose power at the Centre. At the end of=20
the day it's a question of governance. When the police commissioner's=20
orders are not obeyed that means the government is not functioning.=20
The mobs have struck at the economy of Gujarat badly, don't forget=20
that. People have been desensitised, and that's a real tragedy. The=20
way Modi was defending the violence was very shameful. I feel Gujarat=20
is not safe in the hands of Narendra Modi.

_____

#9.

Rediff.com March 5, 2002
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/05train5.htm

Silent march in Ahmedabad to protest violence

Moved by the communal violence that swept across Ahmedabad, citizens=20
from various religious groups on Tuesday staged a six-km long silent=20
march, demonstrating their support for peace and harmony.

Around 1,000 marchers, including women, carrying placards and their=20
mouth covered with scarfs, covered a distance of six km in silence=20
from Kochrab Ashram to Sabarmati Ashram -- both set up by Mahatma=20
Gandhi in 1917 after he returned to India from South Africa.

Some of the prominent personalities who joined the march, organised=20
by Gujarat Loksamiti, were Narayan Desai, son of Mahadev Desai=20
(personal assistant of Gandhi) and noted Sarvodaya leader 85-year-old=20
Chunibhai Vaidya, veteran Gandhians, well-known social workers and=20
writers from the state, including Prakash Shah.

______

#10.

NDTV.COM
http://www.ndtv.com/columns/showcolumns.asp?id=3D812

When the mob rules
Rajdeep Sardesai
Ahmedabad: Amidst the kaleidoscope of images that one has encountered=20
during the Gujarat violence in the last week, one incident stands=20
out. We had just finished interviewing the Gujarat chief minister at=20
his residence in Gandhinagar shortly before midnight. As we were=20
driving back to Ahmedabad, we were stopped by a mob of around 30 to=20
40 trishul and lathi-wielding youth. They asked us for our names, our=20
religious identity and wanted to inspect our cameras. We desperately=20
tried to flash our press credentials, but before we could react, one=20
youth climbed on the bonnet of our Tata Sumo and proceeded to smash=20
our windscreen. Claiming that if any one of us belonged to the=20
minority community we would be killed, our identities were closely=20
inspected. Then, after the car's side window was also smashed, we=20
were allowed to leave, but only after we had joined the chorus in=20
chanting "Jai Shri Ram".

All this, I might add, occurred on the main Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad=20
highway, barely three or four kilometres from the chief minister's=20
residence. It drove home the point that in Gujarat no one, or no=20
place was safe from the mob. After all, if one can be attacked just a=20
short distance away from the chief minister's residence, then what=20
chance does the average person miles away in some remote township or=20
village have if confronted by a similar group?

Indeed, one of the more revealing aspects of the Gujarat riots has=20
been how it has spread beyond the traditional geographical confines=20
of communal trouble. This was not just a walled city riot between=20
Hindus and Muslims in the chawls of Dariapur and Shahpur where=20
violence has become almost an annual ritual. This time, the violence=20
spread to the entire business district of Ahmedabad, to middle-class=20
localities, and even to areas adjoining government offices in=20
Gandhinagar. The sight of people coming out of their Santros and=20
Marutis and getting involved in the rioting and looting suggests that=20
in Ahmedabad at least, the mob psychology and the communal poison has=20
spread well beyond the conventional stereotype of only lumpen=20
elements being involved in acts of rioting and arson.

The Gujarat chief minister has been quoted as saying that the=20
reaction was "an expression of anger" at the ghastly incident in=20
Godhra, a statement that can be likened to Rajiv Gandhi's infamous=20
"when a tree falls, the earth is bound to shake" remark that was made=20
after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots (I might add here that Mr Modi now=20
denies having ever tried to rationalise the initial violence). Let's=20
get this straight: Godhra was a horrific act of savagery whose=20
perpetrators must be found, and if possible, hanged. It would also be=20
foolhardy to try and rationalise the Godhra incident by claiming that=20
the kar-sevaks had provoked the local Muslim community in the city.=20
Nothing can justify what happened in Godhra on February 27, just as=20
nothing can justify what followed all over Gujarat over the next few=20
days.

Let's also get another thing straight: the mob fury that we have=20
witnessed in Gujarat post-Godhra is not just about avenging the=20
killing of kar sevaks. It is primarily about a mindset that has=20
complete disregard for law, rules of civilised behaviour and for=20
human life. Worse, it stems from a belief that the state will not do=20
anything to stop those who go around wantonly destroying life and=20
property. This is where Gujarat has shown just how the government=20
machinery can become completely paralysed, deliberate or otherwise,=20
in the face of a communal riot.

The reason is not difficult to find. Over the last decade, and=20
especially since it first came to power in Gujarat in the mid-1990s,=20
the Sangh Parivar has consciously used Gujarat as a laboratory for=20
militant Hindutva. Long before the textbook controversy erupted at=20
the Centre, there were already attempts being made in Gandhinagar to=20
rewrite history. Even before the Staines incident in Orissa, there=20
were reports emanating from several parts of Gujarat of attacks on=20
small churches and Christian missionaries. And long before the=20
cosmopolitan character of cities like Mumbai had been threatened,=20
Ahmedabad was already being ghettoised.

Not all the blame can be laid at the Sangh Parivar's door. After all,=20
it was the Congress chief minister Chimanbhai Patel who first=20
exploited religious sentiments for political advantage. There is=20
little doubt that the rise of the BJP in Gujarat was largely because=20
the Congress chose to confuse secularism with cynical pro-minorityism=20
and also encouraged criminal elements within the local Muslim=20
community by projecting them as protectors of the faith.

But if the Congress maintained a fa=E7ade of secularism in Gujarat, the=20
BJP has completely dismantled it. In Delhi, the NDA experiment=20
ensures some check on the BJP's politics, in Gujarat the party's=20
two-third majority in the state assembly means that there is no=20
challenge to its dominance. The result is that the state=20
administration is being forced to toe an ideological line for sheer=20
survival. Crucial posts have been filled by Sangh Parivar leaders.=20
The minister of state for home, Gordhanbhai Zadakia for example, is a=20
Vishwa Hindu Parishad man who was appointed to the job on the=20
recommendation of the VHP leadership. Mr Modi himself has never=20
hesitated from getting involved in the VHP's activities, whether it=20
be in New York or Somnath.

Is it any wonder then that when VHP activists took to the streets on=20
day one of the riots, there was no one to stop them? After all, it=20
was the VHP's footsoldiers who led the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that=20
eventually catapulted the BJP to power both in the state and at the=20
Centre. For these footsoldiers, it is now payback time, and they seem=20
determined to extract their price. In a sense, the mob that attacked=20
our car in Gandhinagar wasn't some anonymous, enraged group that had=20
gone out of control. They were law-breakers who knew they could get=20
away with their actions because the law-makers would protect them. In=20
Gujarat, sadly, the line between the mob and the government has=20
become a very thin one.

_____

#11.

Op-Eds From The Hindu 6 Feb 2002

The image of India's future?
By Radhika Desai
Gujarat has become a byword for casteism and communalism. Violence=20
against lower castes, tribals, Muslims and Christians has become=20
routine over the past two decades, during which an entire generation=20
has grown to maturity.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002030600111000.htm
--------------------------------
Perils before the nation
By Rajindar Sachar
The challenge by the VHP is to the basic feature and pride of our=20
Constitution - namely secularism and rule of law.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002030600081000.htm

_____

#13.

If you are concerned about the events in Gujarat, make your views=20
known to some of those who matter. Email now to at least the Prime=20
Minister and President of India and if you have time to many others=20
in the following list.

President of India, Shri K R Narayanan:=20
<mailto:pressecy@a...>pressecy@a...

Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee:=20
<mailto:vajpayee@s...>vajpayee@s...=20

Minister of External Affairs, Shri Jaswant Singh:=20
<mailto:bishnoijs@s...>bishnoijs@s...=20

Minister of Home Affairs, Shri Lal Krishna Advani:=20
<mailto:advanilk@s...>advanilk@s...

Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi:=20
<mailto:soniagandhi@s...>soniagandhi@s...

Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, Dr Manmohan Singh:=20
<mailto:manmohan@s...>manmohan@s...=20

Minister of State for External Affairs, Omar Abdullah:=20
<mailto:omar@s...>omar@s...=20

Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptulla:=20
<mailto:najmah@s...>najmah@s...

Press & Information Bureau: <mailto:pib@a...>pib@a...

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