Open letter to allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

The Hindu
24 March 2009

BJP’s allies urged to deny ticket to Varun

by Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI: The Citizens for Justice And Peace (CJP) and the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) on Monday issued an open letter to allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) urging them to not only condemn “outright” the communal “hate-ridden” speeches of Varun Gandhi, but to ensure that he was not given ticket for the coming elections.

The letter has been sent to the Janata Dal (United), the Indian National Lok Dal, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. It says Mr. Gandhi’s hate speech epitomises the core of BJP’s “supremist and ultra-nationalist” ideology that has always targeted India’s syncretic civilisational ethos and specifically targets Muslims and Christians. Not to oppose his candidature will amount to support for the content of his violence-ridden speech, the signatories have said.

Stating that the BJP’s core ideology stems from its political heart — the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh — the CJP and SAHMAT said the NDA constituents needed to make their position clear on Mr. Gandhi’s speech and his possible nomination as a Lok Sabha candidate from Pilibhit. “Not to oppose his nomination and candidature as Lok Sabha candidate is to support not just Varun Gandhi but the BJP that has grown from strength to strength through flagrant violations of the Constitution and the rule of law.”

Delving into history, the letter draws attention to how the NDA’s prime ministerial aspirant, L.K. Advani, indulged in similar “hate mongering.” Special mention is made of his statements en route to Ayodhya in December 1992. Similar offences, according to the letter, have been committed by senior BJP leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi.

Referring to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the letter notes that his statements on internally displaced refugees living in pathetic conditions in relief camps of the State are not just violation of the law, but shocking. Add to this the activities of fraternal organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal who have “taken the entire content and tempo of hate speech to the levels of a cynical game and continue to indulge in these criminal violations because they escape the long arm of the law.”

The signatories to the open letter include Teesta Setalvad, Javed Akhtar, Javed Anand, Rahul Bose, Vivan Sundaram, Ram Rahman, M.K. Raina, Shakti Kjak, Archana Prasad, Madhu Prasad, C.P. Chandrashekhar, Indira Chandrashekhar, Badri Raina, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik and Chanchal Chauhan.