It is being said that Narendra Modi got success for the
third time in the Gujarat Assembly elections on the basis of development; but
this is only partly true. Then it is also being said that this time Modi had
sought vote in the name of the “honour” of Gujarat, development in the state
and “sadbhavana”. That is, like in earlier election campaigns, he had not used
provocation against any community; this is wholly true. Now the question is why
it so happened. Raheel Dhattiwala, in 18 Dec issue of English daily The Hindu,
has analysed it properly. He has written that today peace prevails in Gujarat
and no riots took place during the election campaigns only because Modi did not
require it this time. What Modi and the government of Modi had done in 2002 and
what it had been happening later on in the form of genocide of Muslims, taking
law in their hands, was enough for the majority of Hindu voters of Gujarat. According
to Dhattiwala, the voters in Gujarat have been divided concretely. General hatred
against Muslims is a matter of fact. Accepting this reality, the Gujarati Muslims
too have compromised with it. This Dhattiwala is a Muslim doctoral student in
Sociology in the U.K. He has made this analysis after long research during his
stay in Gujarat.
This is the ground
reality
There can be possibility of dissent to certain aspects of
this analysis but this is the ground reality. The cause of “popularity of the
chief minister of Gujarat is nothing but violence, destruction and massacre. For
this purpose, Dalits and backward classes who are discriminated against in the
state were coaxed in the name of Hindutva and by giving them free lease to do
rioting and looting. In all the three elections of the assembly, government machineries
were exploited openly; voters were made afraid (of consequences). After the
bloodletting of February and March 2002, when then Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee while addressing a public meeting in Ahmedabad on 4 April expressed
his displeasure on it and asked the chief minister to maintain “raj dharma”,
the majority in Gujarat took ill of it. Many leaders of BJP outside Gujarat
were also angry. Therefore, only a week after it, Vajpayee had to compensate it
by making a forceful speech against Muslims in a meeting in Goa. A conference
of NRIs was held in New Delhi the same year. Tall personalities of the country
and chief ministers of many states participated in it but a large number of
Indians living abroad were all praise for the chief minister of Gujarat. And at
that time there was no (talk of) development in Gujarat.
This is a question of
integrity and survival of the country
Unbiased commentators and neutral analysts should accept the
reality that there is a section here that believes in violence, hatred and
discrimination. It has a particular agenda for the country. Though the group is
little, it is holding command over all the resources in the country. Hatred against
religious entities is its biggest weapon. It has established the laboratory in
Gujarat after strivings spread over years. Therefore, the question where this
mentality would take the country to if it continues to increase should be
before the analysts and commentators. This is not a question of Muslims alone. If
they (Muslims) stick to their faith and ideology, values and religious
identity, they would pass over this age as well. The real question is about
this great country and the future of all her citizens. Muslim groups,
organisations and institutions in the country too should take notice of this
trend not only because it targets Muslims but because this is a question of the
integrity and survival of the country as well as of the protection, success and
salvation of 1.25 crore people living here. Muslim leadership should not only
be involved in its issues rather should think of the entire country.
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