Hope Modi Detractors Would Take A Chill Pill

Would the Narendra Modi detractors now throw their towels inside the ring since Supreme Court in all probability given an indirect clean chit to him? Seems unlikely as the pain they had to go through during 2002 Gujarat riots is too big a wound to be left in the middle, without taking it to a closer. But that said, does they have any route left to keep on fighting? Perhaps not.

The wait for Mrs. Zakia Jafri and many others for justice seems to have been prolonged for yet another decade if not more. After almost ten years of investigations, committees and many other similar sounding nonsenses the wheel seems to have turned full circle and we are back at the square one. The sufferers are still waiting for justice, our investigating agencies are more or less groping in the dark, few self-styled NGOs are making a living out of it and of course media is getting their bit of the pie every now-and-then. Nothing has changed since the investigations started a good eight years back. I pity our criminal justice system where the guilty are yet to be punished and with all probability roaming on Ahmadabad streets as free lieutenants while the oppressed are going through the pain with a hope that justice would be delivered to them somehow. There is something terribly wrong in whole of our system. Isn’t there?

That said, I equally pity and question the intentions of few (if not all) complainants. Yesterday while the media was busy bringing the minute by minute development of the riot case to our bedrooms, I was aghast by the oration of one speaker. When asked for his reaction on Apex court verdict, his reply was – ‘This is a SAD day for India’. SAD day? Really? Why so, if may I ask? Just because the court decision didn’t go in line with your or a section of the society’s wish, it isn’t to be a sad day for the whole nation. Could it be? This kind of reaction towards a judgment puts question mark on the core intention of the so called ‘Fight for Justice’ brigade. Is it a fight to deliver justice to the victims or to send a certain Narendra Modi behind bars, somehow – the – other? While the whole focus should be on providing relief to the victims, the so called messiahs of the minority rather are busy framing Narendra Modi by hook or crook. This spells and smells a wrong notion of political vendetta disguised under this ‘Fight for justice’ propaganda.

Let’s examine the case from the beginning. While I am no fan of violence and for sure would be the last person advocating for the perpetrators of such horrendous crimes on Gujarat streets; the missing mention of the origin of the riot by everyone, including the so called custodians of secularism baffles me a bit. While gallons of tears are poured for the victims (very rightly so) of the riots, none seems to spare a drop for those fifty odd people who were charred alive inside the Savarmati Express. Why this apathy? Why the people from the ruling UPA fail to see the pain of the close ones of all those victims of the train burning incident? Or is it only in the case of a minority killing that one should blow the secularism trumpet? If this is not hypocrisy then I am not sure what else is.

Coming back to the topic. Post Godhra train carnage we perhaps did witnessed the most heinous communal violence in the history of India. Or should I say Rajiv Gandhi was proved correct again? Remember the ‘Big tree falls and earth shakes nonsense’? Thousands lost their lives and many others badly injured. Post the riot, the charge of the investigation was handed over to Gujarat police by then Modi government. While this was not a complain to start with, at the fag end of their investigation, Gujarat police had to deal with a bizarre accusation. Firstly they were accused of cozying with the state government and its high ranking officials and in turn taking favors to let real culprits off the hook. Second they are accused that their such undue favors for the state government is a resultant of the fact that, it is none other than Narendra Modi himself who was hand – in – gloves with the rioters as he himself was alleged to have directed all his top cops to go slow on the rioters. While this accusation could sound ridiculous at the face value, there in fact was the emergence of few individuals like Teesta Shetelvad in connivance with her political bosses in Delhi, who took this accusation to the government of Gujarat. Their dissatisfaction has a primary reason – missing name of Modi from the list of all those which the investigating team found of having some direct or indirect hand in the riot. Their explanation – if there has to be a list of the culprits then it ought to have the name of Modi or else the investigators are fabricating the truth in nepotism with the state government.

The fight was taken to the Supreme Court where the Apex court did gave weightage to the complaint and set up a Special Investigating Team (SIT) under its own observation so that the truth gets a chance to expose itself. R.K. Raghavan headed the SIT which did some unbiased investigation and even called Narendra Modi for questioning on a specific complain filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of the slain Congress MP. In the complain she has alleged to have cited Modi’s indifference when her husband called him personally for help when an angry mod attacked Gulbarg society (where they were residing) during the riot. The complaint further elaborates how Modi rather being helpful did scold back for calling him and allowed the mob to kill her husband. It is shocking if the complain holds any truth. If not then it is equally shocking to see how one can so easily frame the Chief Minister of a state. After their prolonged investigation, SIT as expected didn’t found a pinch of evidence to nail Modi and gave him a clean chit in their final report.

This shocked the so called Messiahs as they yet again fail to see the name of Modi being highlighted. Now people like Teesta Shetelvad went ahead and complained SIT also being taking side of the state government and conveniently overlooking the bigger and powerful culprits. Now this is where I have a problem. One should ask Teesta on the grounds on which she corroborates SIT of indulging in such nepotism. Just because on her own interest, which is best known to her, she wants to see Modi to be hanged for no apparent reasons, she can’t question everyone else who not necessarily endorse her views. This is ridiculous to question every framework of our criminal justice system just because you don’t find the name of your choice in the culprit list.

Basing on this fresh allegation against SIT our Apex court appointed the Amicus Curiae Raju Ramchandran to do some independent investigation. He did submit his report which largely stated what the SIT has stated earlier. Barring few points they are mostly identical. Both the reports were tabled at the Apex court for its reference. In its own wisdom the Apex court directed the case be transferred to the district courts and take it from there on the basis of the above mentioned reports. Hope Teesta Shetelvad at least won’t accuse the honorable judges of the Supreme Court of being biased.

Even though arguments and counter arguments can be rushed through for personal ego, the verdict of the Apex court more or less shut the door on the faces of the Modi detractors. Legally speaking Modi might not have got a clean chit but the SIT report which the lower court would follow to come to a conclusion has already given a clean chit to Modi on Gulbarg society as well as other riot related cases. So when Ms. Shetelvad stood up before the cameras and announced it is a victory for them not Modi, one can only laugh to his death. It could be the voice of Ms. Shetelvad but the words resembled that of her political bosses. Truth be told, more than her illogical interpretation of the verdict, it is the close nexus between the political parties and NGOs seems scarier.

On a closer analysis one would find people like Ms. Shetelvad are nothing but the fallout of political gimmicks. Largely she and her so called NGO are making a living out of this underlying political battle between BJP and Congress, wrapped inside the 2002 Gujarat riots. The grandeur political roadmap for Modi is all but known to the nation. He certainly on his own has the credentials to be the next prime ministerial candidate of BJP. This is where Congress seems a danger and is head – over – heels to make this a nonstarter. People like Teesta Shetelvad just fit to the bill right there. In the name of an NGO and their noble wish of helping the oppressed she is doing nothing but following the orders from her political bosses in Delhi and doing this grandstanding every now – and – then with a core motive of framing Modi.

One can only pity people like Ms. Shetelvad who bake their breads and make a living out of the dead. And can equally pity all those who believe people like Teesta are all but angels incarnate and have descended to the planet to help them heal their wounds. I am sorry to say, but knowingly or unknowingly all those oppressed are becoming a part of this unseen nasty politics and can be rest assured that they are not going to see a closer ever. People like Teesta won’t allow a closer to happen as it would hamper their own livelihood. People like her would only be interested in making a lot of noise and pass hot air for their own gain. Honestly she or her NGO cares least for all those died in the riot or their suffering thereafter. All oppressed can go to hail for all that she cares, as long as she can keep counting the effortless incoming fund in her bank account. I also pity on our political parties who want to score brownie points in matter of such gruesome nature and lean on self-centered individuals like Teesta Shetelvad.

All said and done, Modi seems to have his way again. Knowing his political prowess he is bound to cash on this verdict in his favor and make a hat-trick win in upcoming Gujarat polls. If he does then even his party high-commands can’t ignore his validity as the next prime – ministerial candidate. For many the time for easy money is all but over. It is only time that the district court would tender a clean chit to Modi and force people like Teesta Shetelvad to think of ways to generate some hard earned money. Hope the political gimmickry on the issue of Modi and Gujarat riots ends at the earliest.