Simmering communalism defines contemporary India
Communalism in India is alive and kicking. Our birth as a nation was soaked in bloodshed because of the way in which the partition of our country took place. That bloodbath seems to be in redial mode perpetually.
The Gujarat riots of 2002 have been referred as the “apogee of communal hatred”. But the country may not have learned too much from that tragic and vicious attack on secularism.
Communalism is an everyday happening in many parts of the country. In the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, subtle variations of communalism have reared their ugly head all around the country. Right wing media (even the so-called progressive media entrepreneurs) spew venom at minorities if it can pass off as ‘paid news’. Communalism has not always ended with incidents of riots and violence. It is increasingly built into the very fabric of our being as a society.
Karnataka is fast emerging as the new laboratory for testing new models of communalism – churches are burned down and inaction by government goes virtually unquestioned. In Goa, Gram Sabhas have passed resolutions forbidding Muslims from finding residence or starting businesses in certain areas. (The myth is that this kind of thing happens awake… only in Gujarat). The media in Goa has been a silent spectator – or you could call it an agreeable accessory. Meanwhile the perpetrators wholesale mlb jerseys of the communal carnage in 2006 in Sanvordem-Curchorem – the first riots in Goa- remain unpunished by both Congress and BJP governments and subtle, yet ugly, forms of communalism thrive.
Incidents of justice denied following communal violence are numerous. Narendra Modi walks free and is even touted as India’s best bet for Prime minister by India’s corporate chiefs. Narayan Murthy of INFOSYS fame recently interviewed on television was asked point blank how he could actually even countenance an invitation from Modi to advance industry in Gujarat even after knowing about the sponsored massacres in Gujarat under Modi’s almost-direct command structure. Murthy simply dismissed the question saying words to the effect that he was interested in business and would not allow politics to interfere with his opinion. Just as blood is thicker than water for most people, for Murthy, profits are thicker than fascism – and his tolerance of a fascist is a sad commentary – so much so for a distinguished man’s soft endorsement of Hindutva (read Modi).
Recall too the anti-Sikh riots – probably the worst in independent India’s history. The Congress stubbornly camouflages its own role in it. And that raises the question: Is the BJP the only communal force in the country? The Congress has a track record of not doing enough and even being party to behind-the-scenes sponsors of communal trends. Regional parties are also stained by communal poison. The BJP is plainly wholesale nfl jerseys the worst and the best organized when it comes to disgorge communal hatred. But most political parties of all hues and cries practice variations of communalism. The recent jockeying for the Muslim vote in UP is an ugly display of political opportunism.
The eminent sociologist, Ashish Nandy, says: “Riots are regular occurrences at low levels of national income. With rising incomes, communal discontent does not fully disappear, but it begins to take the form of hi-tech terrorism as opposed to low-tech mass riots.” With no preventive law in place, one can not rule out a recurrence of large scale violence by those with vested economic interests. In 2006, it was a whispered loud enough – but undocumented- that the real estate lobby had eyed the New Market area in Margao for their re-development and wanted rioting that would bring down the entire area in flames so that they could step in and profit from the misery.
10 tears after the carnage struck, we must be reminded that the ideology of communalism has roots in economic injustice. The competition for resources is almost always done through manipulating people on the basis of class interests – and hence the upper classes that come from Testimonials the upper castes will use caste, religion, ethnicity, to promote conflict and then step in to reap the harvest from the conflict. A divided underclass is, after all, in their favour.
Modi’s so-call economic miracle is an obvious example of Better how Muslims have been ghettoised and pushed to the margins whilst the Ambanis, Murthys, Tatas, and the greedy capital class step into terrain that is fascist controlled and, hence, safe for industry. Gujarat is euphemistically referred throw light Agreements on the dimensions of the continuing spillovers of communal carnages whether in Gujarat or elsewhere.
The victims of communalism are those wounded by fascist ideologies. These ideologies are without exception right wing and supported by the capitalist class – those who need a divided society for their greed and prosperity. The injustice and penalty that the victims of communalism are subject to must be dealt with more than mere ameliorative measures. Important as they are, the challenge is to work for a system where ‘exclusionary policies and practices of governments and political parties are challenged and monitored. What the country needs is the practice of ‘inclusive politics’ that serves the common interests of all peoples regardless of caste or religion or ethnicity. The danger of a communal outbreak exists for as long as Indians define their social identity by their religion which is most often the case. For this, the urgent requisite is for a vibrant, alert, and agile civil society Musikgarten that prompts and advocates pre-emptive action through watch dog approaches. The goes apologists for Gujarat are telling the world that we must put 2002 behind us only because there has been no single case of communal violence since then. Gujarat is living the ‘peace of the graveyard’. Those who were killed in the riots – not just in Gujarat, but, indeed, wherever communal elements have struck, know that justice and justice only can bring peace and reconciliation. Hindutva’s allies would rather sweep their crimes under the carpet not bothering to recognize that the scars remain fresh in the bodies and minds of those who were affected.
Badayl/Alternatives offers readers of ‘Hard Truths-Alternative Perspectives’ pertinent facts and opinions from respected commentators on what happened in Gujarat and also what the Gujarat carnage portends for the country as it grapples with the phenomena of communalism. of We have listed short summaries coupled with links that readers may explore for an understanding of the ‘state of play’ in the communal arena!
In solidarity,
Ranjan Solomon
Useful analyses on communalism vis-à-vis Gujarat 2002
Dear Narendrabhai, Could You Please…
For 10 years, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has chosen to answer with silence—and election victories—the many questions about his role or lack of it in the Gujarat carnage of 2002. He has walked out of TV interviews, glared at interviewers, and sidestepped every court stricture. About the only time he sat down with an interrogator was when he faced a member of the SIT in March 2010; his responses are now in the public domain. But Modi still hasn’t answered many key questions:
Read more…http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?280034
After NCTC, Modi now opposes RPF amendment bill
After NCTC, it was the turn of a proposal to empower Railway Protection Force (RPF) with police powers that has come under attack from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Read more…..
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/after-nctc-modi-now-opposes-rpf-amendment-bill-683
When we stood with pickaxes in Vadodara (10 years after Gujarat riots)
Ten years ago, a madness, a maelstrom of sorts hit Gujarat. Hundreds died in its wake. Innocent lives lost, sacrificed on the altar of man’s cruelty to man. I was there and witnessed it all firsthand. Read more…
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/west/when-we-stood-pickaxes-vadodara-10-years-after-gujarat-riots-880
Myth of Vibrant Gujarat
Nearly nine years after the carnage of Gujarat (Feb 2011), a perception has been created that Gujarat wholesale mlb jerseys is developing with rapid strides, there is all peace and Day harmony and minorities are happy. They call it ‘Vibrant Gujarat’.
Ram Punyani, a noted commentator on issues of communalism argues that “nothing can be farther from truth. In the aftermath of the violence, the death of over two thousand Muslims, the rapes, the humiliation at cheap jerseys the hands of instigated mobs, are still fresh in the air as the state has totally been unjust to the victims of the violence. There was no rehabilitation worth its name, the ‘refugee camps’ were closed too soon. State totally washed its hands off the rehabilitation process”.
http://www.countercurrents.org/puniyani220211.htm
Gujarat Genocide: The State, Law and Subversion
Media, NGOs, Human Right activists and vibrant citizens have to further redouble their labors to exorcise black sheeps and criminals in the Indian Establishment, who are debilitating the system from within, for their unholy selfish interests
http://www.countercurrents.org/sreekumar270212.htm
The Truth about ‘VIBRANT GUJARAT’
While Gujarat government claims that Gujarat is number one state in terms of industrial development and general prosperity. The official data tells some other story.
http://www.anhadin.net/IMG/pdf/pamphlet_Gujdevelopment.doc.pdf