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A shame that dogs the nation by Brij Bhardwaj  Every
time some new evidence emerges to indicate the complicity of Narendra
Modi and his government in the Gujrat riots the BJP and its allies rake
up the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. There is little doubt that both stand
out as a shame that the nation finds hard to wipe out but the need for a
secular party like Congress is to ensure that the guilty of anti-Sikh
riots are brought to justice as soon as possible.There are few incidents in the history of a nation for which people as well few connected with incidents are always ashamed and would like to forget them and if possible make amends for them. The riots in Gujarat and anti Sikh riots in Delhi fall in the category of such incidents. The nation has been trying to overcome the trauma caused by these incidents , but the ugly memories are revived again and again and keep on haunting the guilty persons of anti-Sikh riots and communal incidents in Gujarat. The gruesome details of Gujarat riots were revived recently when a sting operation was conducted by a group of TV channels and Tehelka group which had been in the forefront of such operations for a long time. The sting operation was significant not for providing any further details about the incidents when the peaceful state of Gujarat had become play ground for devil, but more disgusting was the fact showing some odd balls involved in the violence instead of having any remorse or guilt feelings for participation in such incidents boasting about their crimes and atrocities committed by them. Another highlight of the operation was the fact that guilty stated leaving little doubts that they were encouraged in committing the crimes by persons in authority, thus exposing a nexus which has been known, but could not be proved so far. The Bhartiya Janata Dal which was obviously embarrassed tried to get out of the tight situation by questioning the motives as well as timing of the sting operations but was aware of the fact that they have been caught on the wrong foot. Particularly on the eve of fresh polls in Gujarat where BJP is facing a tough challenge from opponents as well as from dissidents within their own ranks. So it chose to attack the Congress for their involvement in Anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. This certainly makes sense politically, but one would like to ask if one wrong can be an excuse for the subsequent wrong. More so there are two basic differences between the two ugly incidents. In the first instance while the communal divide in Delhi has been healed, it remains intact in Gujarat. Second major difference is that all those involved in Delhi incidents have been sent into oblivion either by natural causes like death or through action taken by political bosses who felt that such people have become a political liability. Few have been punished by law courts but number of such people remains very small and one could concede that despite assurances the State machinery has not moved fast enough to punish the guilty as compared to the gruesome tragedy enacted in Delhi On the other hand in Gujarat, the main actors responsible for the acts of commission or omission are not only active but remain at the helm of affairs in the State. For instance the State Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is held responsible for allowing the riots to continue and for having made the State machinery inactive while mobs were out seeking revenge for the alleged attack on Hindu pilgrims in Godhra is seeking a new term to rule the State. The question being asked is can the wounds inflicted by senseless riots ever be healed as long as Mr Modi remains in power and as Chief Minister. Mr Modi does not offer any defence for his role except to state that he has the support of majority in the State. Does it implies that a popular following or a verdict in elections is enough to allow all those guilty of crimes, irrespective of the nature of offence can go free. More over the presence of Mr Modi not only absolves him of any guilt but also those who had taken part in the riots encouraged by those who wielded power at that time. Many pronouncements made by courts in the country leave little doubt that Gujarat is one case where more needs to be done. To start with the moderates in BJP should seriously think if the image projected by Mr Modi and others who have boasted on camera about their participation in gruesome crimes should remain connected with them or not. A national party which has also boasted of being a party with difference as they enforce a better code of conduct on their members needs to change its image. Mr Modi probably offers them some electoral advantage in Gujarat, but is certainly a handicap when it comes to making them more acceptable to country at large. Bhartiya Janta Party under the leadership of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee had tried to project the soft face of the party instead of being a die hard Hindu party wedded to outdated ideology. If the leadership chooses to ignore these facts, it would be responsible for being pushed back into a corner instead of emerging as a mainstream political force. As for the Congress, it has its commitment to secularism as a central focal point of its political philosophy as such it must do more to bring the guilty of anti-Sikh riots before legal forums to be punished and suffer for their acts. The action taken so far is certainly not convincing. As for the nation it must think and devise ways so that such incidents are not repeated which bring shame to the nation and undermines our secular and democratic credentials. | |
