Assault on Gandhiji
In the last one-month, ever since the Godhra incident, we have
been hearing about the mass massacre in Gujarat, thanks to the negligent
regime of Narendra Modi. Innocent people were being killed and butchered
in Gujarat. Somebody needs to remind the Gujarat Chief Minister that
maintaining the law and order of the state is the primary duty of
his cabinet. The events that are happening in Gujarat should be viewed
in the backdrop of the Bangalore Resolution of the RSS, which stated
that "the safety and security of the minorities depended on the goodwill
of the majority community". What an assault on the secular character
of our constitution! It is very shameful that the State, which is
the birthplace of Mahatma, the apostle of non-violence, has been witnessing
a series of communal violence. The communal toll has raised over 700
and turned more than a lakh people into refugees.
Harmony is Never to Return in Gujarat?
This lawlessness and anarchy in Gujarat has reached its new heights
when the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram witnessed mob raids and police action
on Sunday (April 7, 2002). On April 7, 2002 in the Sabarmati Gandhi
Ashram, a meeting of the Sarvodaya leaders and others was held for
the restoration of peace in Gujarat. It was an informal affair. This
initiative was under the threat from the activists of the Sangh Parivar
who did "not want peace to be restored in the State till the minorities
were driven out.'' In the first place, the organizers shifted the
meeting venue from Gujarat Vidyapith, also a Gandhian Institution,
to Sabarmati Ashram as some Parivar activists threatened the authorities
of the Gujarat Vidyapith, of dire consequences if the peace meeting
was allowed there. In fact this was vouched by the organizers of the
Peace meeting, Prakash Shah and Girish Patel, according to whom the
attackers would have found some excuse to disrupt the peace move.
Bloodshed in Sabarmati Ashram
This author wonders what do the communalists have against Sabarmati?
The entire episode of violence started with burning the Sabarmati
Express train and very recently they enacted violence in Sabarmati
Ashram. During the meeting in the Ashram, a mob attacked the Ashram,
allegedly owing allegiance to the Sangh Parivar. It was reported that
there were also some Youth Congress volunteers among the attackers,
who were opposing the presence of the Narmada Bachao Andolan leader,
Medha Patkar. Medha Patkar was manhandled by the irate mob and had
to be escorted by police to Baroda on her way to Mumbai. At least
a dozen journalists and cameramen, particularly from the electronic
media, were also injured in a scuffle with police. Some cameras were
damaged or destroyed in the unprovoked police lathi blows.
Patkar-Specific Protest?
The immediate provocation for the attack was the presence of Ms.
Patkar. The presence of Ms. Patkar evoked strong protests both from
the Congress and the BJP circles. The State Congress president, Amarsinh
Chaudhary, the former Union Minister, Urmilaben Patel, and the BJP
leader and chairman of the Narmada Development Corporation, Bhupendrasinh
Chudasma, criticised the organisers of the peace initiative for inviting
Ms. Patkar. It is ridiculous. Ms Patkar is not only known for his
anti-dam stance, but she is equally known for her commitment to strengthen
the secular and peaceful India.
While one of the organizers Mallika Sarabhai claimed that Ms. Patkar
had come "uninvited,'' some others pointed out that the Peace meeting
was an informal affair and no specific invitations were sent to any
individual or organization. Even if she was not invited, her presence
in the Peace meeting clearly establishes Ms Patkar's commitment to
secular and Peaceful India. At lunch hour, some people tried to loudly
confront Ms. Patkar about Narmada issue with little information. She
made it clear to them that she would be willing to discuss the issues
related to Narmada in detail in a separate meeting. She made it clear
to them that she was there on a different mission - of peace and communal
harmony. However, the mob threatened her not to participate in that
meeting. If the organizers wanted all those who are committed to secularism,
to come together to work out an agenda for combating communalism in
Gujarat and other parts of the country, how does it matter if Ms.
Patkar was fighting for the cause of tribals and displaced people
of Narmada valley. The presence of Medha Patkar, who has been ceaselessly
campaigning against the Sardar Sarovar Dam, was objectionable to the
mob as she is viewed as an anti-Gujarat. Her participation seems to
have evoked a palpably aggressive protest. This is obnoxious and is
a clear sign of intolerance. It was clearly Ms. Patkar-specific protest.
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