Dawn
November 10, 2007
Tehelka: why is Congress silent?
by Prof Ram Puniyani
TEHELKA'S sting operation, codenamed Kalank, has brought into open the truth about Godhra and Gujarat violence. This investigation further confirms the truth as revealed in the earlier findings. Most of the probes undertaken by several human rights activists had also come to the same conclusion: the state leadership and RSS had joined together to unleash the pogrom against Muslims, to burn their properties and destroy their dargahs, etc. What is new in this documentary is that one could see live the perpetrators of the crime gloating over their shameful acts, from opening the womb of Kausar Bano to hacking to death of Ahsan Jaffri!
In a civilised society, this is enough for a drastic action. In India, this was enough for the central government to dismiss the Modi government and to register cases against those who are seen confessing in front of the camera. But, it is ironic to note, that the top leadership of the Congress has chosen to be indifferent to it as if some minor incident was being reported by Tehelka. Only Laloo Parshad Yadav has been vocal and has demanded the arrest of Modi for being responsible for this mass murder.
The response of the BJP was more revealing. While its top leadership kept quiet, its spokespersons opted to doubt the very motives of Tehelka behind the sting, its timing, the powers behind the expose and all that. In fact, the main burden of the crime, committed by the BJP supporters, was dodged, bypassed and defended indirectly.
It is amazing to note how low a section of society in India could stoop while pursuing the games of power. Now, that even the gloating of the killers is being accepted and defended, the rule of law seems to have given way to communal fascism �� the real label for the politics of Hindutva. And it is a mockery of the lofty values of Hinduism, as represented by eminent figures like Kabir and Gandhi.
That the BJP has identified its politics with Hindu religion is the worst abuse of rich Hindu traditions and exploitation of religious emotions. The RSS-Modi combine has deliberately associated their social agenda with the word Hindu so that they can get away with their crimes under the cloak of faith. Their goal is to polarise Indian society along religious lines, do away with the concept of human rights, and pave the way for suppression of the rights of weaker sections like dalits, adivasis, women and workers, while demonising and attacking the minorities, Muslims and Christians in particular.
Why is the Congress silent? Is it the fear of losing Hindu votes? Should we keep judging the events of such tragic proportions in terms of electoral gains? Does the human tragedy, violation of law, trampling of human rights, the plight of minorities not matter to us in the first place? Communal forces have caused religious divides in society.
We must realise how the leaders of India�s freedom movement in the early years would have thought and done in a situation like this. Had they behaved the way Congress leaders are now doing? Imagine Mahatma Gandhi seeing the tapes and keeping quiet for the fear that he may lose his undisputed social status of bapu. Imagine Jawaharlal Nehru looking the other way around when Babu Bajrangi is proudly describing his crimes? Imagine him exonerating Modi for giving three days to the RSS goons to unleash horrible mayhem in Gujarat? It is obvious that erosion of secular values in India has taken place at various levels. The communalisation of mind, the institutionalisation of bias against minorities, relegation of minorities to second class citizenship has gone on through various mechanisms. Pandit Nehru's warning to Congress that the communal elements have entered its ranks and were posing a threat to the values which Congress should uphold seems to have fallen on deaf ears. That seems to be the reason why the Congress coalition elected twice in Maharashtra, on the promise that it will implement Shri Krishna Commission�s recommendations, has shamelessly kept the report in cold storage.
The issue is not just a defence of minorities. It is the overall system of democracy and its accompanying values. The growing erosion of rule of law in the state machinery, affecting all its wings is what has to be addressed urgently. The misuse of religious identity for political purpose by the RSS and its affiliates needs to be resisted. The argument that minorities should forget the past and get on with life is too simplistic. Can there be peace without justice?
When a section of minorities starts saying that they no longer want to look back at the past, it does not mean that they have overcome the grief and sense of injustice. It only means that they are surrendering to the politics of the dominant sections, having come to realise that they cannot live in India as equal citizens. The test of democracy is that even the tiniest minority can live there with as much dignity and honour as any one else.
While the leadership in Maharashtra is too 'shrewd' and has been avoiding the implementation of the Shri Krishna report despite the promises, the likes of Modi will try to distract the whole issue and consolidate their vote bank by instilling a sense of fear amongst the majority community.
Time has come for India to face the truth, punish the guilty and protect the innocent, irrespective of religion and caste. In Gujarat state, if the state government has failed to prosecute the guilty, it is a breach of the oath taken by the political leadership and it has to be dealt with as violation of constitutional obligations by the state government.
The state officials who were aiding, abetting and participating in the crime must be treated as criminals. The judiciary and the central government must devise a mechanism so that the rule of law is brought back in Gujarat.
The writer is General Secretary, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai and a recipient of Indira Gandhi award for national integration.
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