05-09-2006, 09:16 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Who is stoking communal fire?</b>
A week ago two Indian States - Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir and Hindu majority Gujarat - were in the news for all the wrong reasons. In Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic militants shot dead 32 members of the minority Hindu community in cold blood. Having "cleansed" the Kashmir Valley of Hindus, the terrorists are now hoping to achieve similar success in other regions of the State.
In Gujarat, Vadodara witnessed a communal conflagration following Muslim protests over demolition of encroachments. The Government in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Hindus were slaughtered, is headed by Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Congressman and a Muslim. The Gujarat Government is headed by Mr Narendra Modi, a BJP man and a Hindu.
We need to examine the conduct of the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre in the light of these developments in order to understand its intentions. In Vadodara, the civic authorities who were clearing encroachments from public places had demolished a large number of religious shrines existing on public land. This included at least 20 Hindu shrines and a dargah in Yakutpura.
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Mr Deepak Swaroop, the Vadodara City Police Commissioner, told the media that the demolition drive had been on for a fortnight and as per orders, some Hindu temples too had been demolished. He said he used to offer prayers at a Sai Baba Mandir close to his residence. However, even that had to be demolished "and I could do nothing about it". The Vadodara Municipal Commissioner said that before the demolition of the dargah, 20 temples had been demolished "with the cooperation of the Hindus".
However, while the demolition of Hindu shrines passed off peacefully, trouble broke out when the bulldozers approached the dargah. Muslims went on a rampage and clashed with the police. Soon after trouble broke out, the Gujarat High Court put its weight behind the demolition drive.
It directed the civic authorities to remove all encroachments including religious shrines. With Muslims crying themselves hoarse over the demolition of the dargah, the UPA Government sniffed an opportunity to conduct a fresh raid on the Muslim vote-bank. It despatched Sri Prakash Jaiswal, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, to Vadodara, and moved the Supreme Court for a stay on the Gujarat High Court's order.
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In its pleadings before the apex court, the Centre said it was deeply concerned about the safety and security of the citizens of Gujarat and the prevailing law and order situation there. The High Court order, it said, would have an impact on the "secular fabric of the nation". Mr Jaiswal remained loyal to the Congress script. He criticised the Gujarat Government for being insensitive to the feelings of Muslims.
Displaying his bleeding heart for Muslims, this standard bearer of pseudo-secular politics indulged in suppressio veri, suggestio falsi in his utterances to the media. He hid two important facts from the people of India: One, that the removal of encroachments from public places in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Surat had the sanction of the Gujarat High Court, which wanted this drive to be carried out impartially and efficiently. Two, that many Hindu places of worship had come under the bulldozers before the municipal authorities turned their attention to the dargah.
When told that the Vadodara Municipal Corporation had demolished 20 temples, Mr Jaiswal told a television channel: "I don't have any information about demolition of temples." And of course he did not take cognisance of the statements of the Vadodara Police Commissioner about the demolition of the Sai Baba Mandir.
After all this, we are supposed to believe that this minister actually went to Vadodara to make an honest attempt to ascertain the truth! Mr Jaiswal is only reminding us that not every one who takes oath under the Constitution is working to strengthen and preserve it. Politicians like him have the capacity to wreck it from within.
We now come to the gory events in the Congress-ruled State of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the only Muslim majority State in the country. And how are religious minorities treated here? Islamic militants periodically form themselves into firing squads and shoot down Hindus in cold blood in Doda, Jammu and Udhampur districts in this State. In the latest carnage, 32 Hindus were pulled out of their homes and gunned down. The Congress party, however, does not seem to be unduly troubled by this dance of death.
Probably it feels that Muslim chief ministers have no secular obligations to fulfill. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil visited the affected village in Udhampur but did not go to Kulhand in Doda. Having cried itself hoarse over the plight of Muslim rioters of Vadodara, the UPA Government had no tears to shed for Vimla Devi, the widow of village chief Gopichand, who lost 12 members of her family including her husband in this incident.
If there ever was a personal tragedy, this was it, but tears for a Hindu destitute bring no electoral dividend. For the very same reason the Centre is not troubled by "the prevailing law and order situation" in this State. Nor does it think that the slaughter of minority Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir will have any impact on "the secular fabric of the nation". On the other hand, so impressed is the UPA Government with the conduct of Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad after the latest massacre of Hindus that the Union Home Minister even praised him for having "thought of a plan" to protect Hindus.
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Dr Rafiq Zakaria, who wrote Communal Rage in Secular India after the Gujarat riots in 2002, had warned Muslims to beware of politicians who will pretend to be their friends. "Many of those who show them (Muslims) sympathy or consideration are not sincere. They do so only to obtain some electoral gain. This has been proved time and time again but only the wise take the hint and correct themselves."
Mr Jaiswal has been so transparently dishonest on his recent visit to Vadodara that his conduct should put the Muslims of Gujarat on high alert. They must pay heed to Dr Zakaria's warning and see the Union Minister for what he is - an unscrupulous vote-gatherer whose parsimony with truth can only bring more trouble to them.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp...xt&writer=surya<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A week ago two Indian States - Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir and Hindu majority Gujarat - were in the news for all the wrong reasons. In Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic militants shot dead 32 members of the minority Hindu community in cold blood. Having "cleansed" the Kashmir Valley of Hindus, the terrorists are now hoping to achieve similar success in other regions of the State.
In Gujarat, Vadodara witnessed a communal conflagration following Muslim protests over demolition of encroachments. The Government in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Hindus were slaughtered, is headed by Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Congressman and a Muslim. The Gujarat Government is headed by Mr Narendra Modi, a BJP man and a Hindu.
We need to examine the conduct of the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre in the light of these developments in order to understand its intentions. In Vadodara, the civic authorities who were clearing encroachments from public places had demolished a large number of religious shrines existing on public land. This included at least 20 Hindu shrines and a dargah in Yakutpura.
Â
Mr Deepak Swaroop, the Vadodara City Police Commissioner, told the media that the demolition drive had been on for a fortnight and as per orders, some Hindu temples too had been demolished. He said he used to offer prayers at a Sai Baba Mandir close to his residence. However, even that had to be demolished "and I could do nothing about it". The Vadodara Municipal Commissioner said that before the demolition of the dargah, 20 temples had been demolished "with the cooperation of the Hindus".
However, while the demolition of Hindu shrines passed off peacefully, trouble broke out when the bulldozers approached the dargah. Muslims went on a rampage and clashed with the police. Soon after trouble broke out, the Gujarat High Court put its weight behind the demolition drive.
It directed the civic authorities to remove all encroachments including religious shrines. With Muslims crying themselves hoarse over the demolition of the dargah, the UPA Government sniffed an opportunity to conduct a fresh raid on the Muslim vote-bank. It despatched Sri Prakash Jaiswal, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, to Vadodara, and moved the Supreme Court for a stay on the Gujarat High Court's order.
Â
In its pleadings before the apex court, the Centre said it was deeply concerned about the safety and security of the citizens of Gujarat and the prevailing law and order situation there. The High Court order, it said, would have an impact on the "secular fabric of the nation". Mr Jaiswal remained loyal to the Congress script. He criticised the Gujarat Government for being insensitive to the feelings of Muslims.
Displaying his bleeding heart for Muslims, this standard bearer of pseudo-secular politics indulged in suppressio veri, suggestio falsi in his utterances to the media. He hid two important facts from the people of India: One, that the removal of encroachments from public places in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Surat had the sanction of the Gujarat High Court, which wanted this drive to be carried out impartially and efficiently. Two, that many Hindu places of worship had come under the bulldozers before the municipal authorities turned their attention to the dargah.
When told that the Vadodara Municipal Corporation had demolished 20 temples, Mr Jaiswal told a television channel: "I don't have any information about demolition of temples." And of course he did not take cognisance of the statements of the Vadodara Police Commissioner about the demolition of the Sai Baba Mandir.
After all this, we are supposed to believe that this minister actually went to Vadodara to make an honest attempt to ascertain the truth! Mr Jaiswal is only reminding us that not every one who takes oath under the Constitution is working to strengthen and preserve it. Politicians like him have the capacity to wreck it from within.
We now come to the gory events in the Congress-ruled State of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the only Muslim majority State in the country. And how are religious minorities treated here? Islamic militants periodically form themselves into firing squads and shoot down Hindus in cold blood in Doda, Jammu and Udhampur districts in this State. In the latest carnage, 32 Hindus were pulled out of their homes and gunned down. The Congress party, however, does not seem to be unduly troubled by this dance of death.
Probably it feels that Muslim chief ministers have no secular obligations to fulfill. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil visited the affected village in Udhampur but did not go to Kulhand in Doda. Having cried itself hoarse over the plight of Muslim rioters of Vadodara, the UPA Government had no tears to shed for Vimla Devi, the widow of village chief Gopichand, who lost 12 members of her family including her husband in this incident.
If there ever was a personal tragedy, this was it, but tears for a Hindu destitute bring no electoral dividend. For the very same reason the Centre is not troubled by "the prevailing law and order situation" in this State. Nor does it think that the slaughter of minority Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir will have any impact on "the secular fabric of the nation". On the other hand, so impressed is the UPA Government with the conduct of Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad after the latest massacre of Hindus that the Union Home Minister even praised him for having "thought of a plan" to protect Hindus.
Â
Dr Rafiq Zakaria, who wrote Communal Rage in Secular India after the Gujarat riots in 2002, had warned Muslims to beware of politicians who will pretend to be their friends. "Many of those who show them (Muslims) sympathy or consideration are not sincere. They do so only to obtain some electoral gain. This has been proved time and time again but only the wise take the hint and correct themselves."
Mr Jaiswal has been so transparently dishonest on his recent visit to Vadodara that his conduct should put the Muslims of Gujarat on high alert. They must pay heed to Dr Zakaria's warning and see the Union Minister for what he is - an unscrupulous vote-gatherer whose parsimony with truth can only bring more trouble to them.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp...xt&writer=surya<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->