It is a corollary to bring in the 2002 riots whenever theres a discussion on Narendrabhai Modi and then it proceeds on predictable lines -- some crucifying him for his involvement and some reprimanding him for the riots having happened under his watch. In defence, his acolytes cite his exoneration by SIT set up by the SC. Strangely, it is only politicians, political scientists and media commentators who have flooded media space with their seemingly profound views and bytes. Well, what does the man-in-the-street think ? His voice remains stilled and silent except for an occasional forced extraction by TV anchors. Actually the 2014 verdict is the first opportunity for the common citizens to stamp their views. (I however concede that 2014 is not a referendum on 2002.) The point that is said and forgotten is that the origins of 2002 lay in the 1984 riots. That too was a massacre claiming a larger number of victims. But the country saw how successive governments brushed it under the carpet. Strangely, neither did the Vajpayee Government of 1999-2004 seek a remedy, although Akalis were part of the NDA. (Issues like 1984, Bofors and 2002 come alive only during debates and subsequent controversies when charges are traded with elan. And also during elections. After that such issues go into a slumber.) The question therefore is, it is perhaps a moot point now, if the culprits of 1984 were brought to book and punished before public eyes, could the 2002 riots have been carried out with gumption? Instead, the country saw the perpetrators of 1984 be decorated with important government posts. And History repeats itself. This gave enough arsenal for subsequent riots including 2002. The tendency of some party workers to please their chieftains presuming their desires overtook many in Gujerat, as it was in Delhi, and the mobs ran amuck. (Remember Murder in the Cathedral by TS Eliot.) This calls for reflection and retrospection so that we end this gruesome spectre which has been haunting this country since independence. Raising such issues when it is convenient to score political points is a crime against motherland. We need to act swiftly and fairly to instill confidence in our diverse population and punish the culprits which will instill fear into those who harbour such nefarious ideas of cashing in on such sensitivities by fanning them. Otherwise we are condemned to see many more 1984, 2002 and the recent one at Muzzafarnagar. Jai Hind.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 03:20:47 +0000
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