Being Cynical�

Out of nowhere quite a handful amount of politicians seems to have reinvented their love for the minority community. Thanks to some impending state elections of next year, the politicians of the states are trying their best to woo the group who are known to vote en-mass on pure religious lines.

Leading from the front is Narendra Modi with his Sadvavna fast for social and cultural harmony. The same man who was accused as a mass murderer for last nine years by various NGOs, political parties, media houses and Congress is now taking the fight to the opposition and his detractors by vouching for peace, harmony and inclusiveness of every religion in his future scheme of things. That’s so nice of the man who was alleged to have baked Muslims so badly in and around Ahmedabad that the poor terrified Irfan Pathan is yet to regain his cricketing prowess. The man who said to have asked his officers to go slow on the rioters so that a complete and justified vengeance can be meted out is up there on the stage and fasting for peace? That is one incredible and unbelievable behavioral sea change since King Ashoka put down his sword and went the peace path. Many would agree there is something magical with the air of our country where we time and again produce changed saints like Valmiki, Parshuram, Ashoka, Phulan Devi, Jagdish Tytelor, Harbhajan Sing and Narendra Modi to name few.

But that said the pattern is bit scary. Not only NaMo but the entire lot who seems to have developed a great affinity towards the minority and their demands and rights off late seems scary. Does this affinity have a political angle to it? Does our self-centered politicians are at it again for their votes? Does everything is nothing but hogwash to protect one’s vote-banks? The questions are many.

Looking at the complex democratic framework of our country, it needs no Nobel laureate’s brain to understand that each ballot counts, more so when we have more political parties than the number of Sazish that Ekta Kapoor has already broken in her tele soaps. The minorities now counts for a good 15% of the entire ballot. Looking at the trend and manner at which these minorities cast their votes, it’s no rocket science to realize that, it is purely based on cast lines and for the party that assures them of safeguarding their interest. In a complex democratic setting like ours a 15% vote share is a huge chunk as the last three governments assumed office by just securing on and about 30% of the entire vote share. The 1999 BJP government didn’t even had 30% of the vote share. So none of the political parties willing to lose this vote share and gift their opponents a chance to overtake them on a platter. Even the once Hindu poster boy Modi realizes how important this 15% vote share would be for his future course of political growth.

It is no secrete how NaMo wants to see himself as, in next few years. Race for the Prime-Minister ship, as early as next general election is what many political analysts feel is the destination of NaMo. This puts NaMo in a bit of Catch – 22 situation. He is in a situation where he could be easily damned if he does and could equal easily be damned if he doesn’t. Looking at his not so cordial relationship with the minority, his prime-ministerial ambitions could easily scare away the 15% votes from BJP and would make the lives of the Congress smoother to a great extent as they then would only have to scratch their bald heads for the remaining 15% vote share to get back to power. That leaves NaMo with his task cutout if he has to continue to garner the idea of being the party’s prime-ministerial candidate for the general election 2014 – It is time to woo the minority votes (a chunk if not in entirety) by some means and measures.

The so called Sadvavna fast and the earlier Apex court indirect clean chit couldn’t have come at a better time. Barely a year away from the state elections NaMo couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to prove himself innocent and get closer to the minority. A hattrick in Gujarat would just be the achievement which even would force his own party high rankers to consider his name as a Prime-Ministerial candidate of NDA in next general elections. Hence, the fast which primarily aims at projecting NaMo as a close confidant for minority rights and their welfare. A substantial congregation of Muslims at his fast site stands testimony to the core thought process behind the fast.

Even though NaMo is not admitting the underlying truth behind his fast, he is not flatly denying either. But people at the other end are scarier. At one hand thrashing NaMo’s fast as farce, Sankar Sing Vagela wasted no time in organizing his own fast to counter NaMo’s fast. That seems like a fight of the fast and in a race to show who the boss is, we ended up having fasts organized left – right – and – center. That is some bullshit right there at the first place. Congress very well knows the value of this 15% vote chunk as their path to power is strongly based on this segment. NaMo’s fast can certainly mark the new beginning and can help people forget some bitterness for good. NaMo’s skills as an administrator are unquestionable. It is only the blot of 2002 that seems to have engulfed his otherwise finest statesmanship. Since our Apex court has somewhat settled the case, NaMo reached out to the Muslim community which I personally feel he should have done a long time back. Now this is a double whammy for Congress when they see they are up against someone who not only is a great administrator but also running away with a chunk of their much preserved votebank. So Mr.Vaghela, even though might vehemently deny it with his life was asked to arrange his own fast to counter NaMo’s strides towards their votebank.

Not to be left behind Mayawati was at it again to lure the minority to vote for her in the upcoming UP state elections, when she wrote, not once but twice to the PM to include Muslim quota into our existing quota framework. Though the community bashed Mayawati for such unnecessary appeasement, Behnji seems to have scored a point or two within the oppressed and deprived lot of the community. While one can safely ask Behnji to know if she was sleeping for last four years on this and woke up all of a sudden before a year from the election; it clears one thing – Behnji is doing this to safeguard her votebank which could be in dual attack; one from a worthy opponent called Congress and another from BJP off late (thanks to NaMo and his fast). So there it is – Behnji for a change stopped bothering for the status of her latest statue that is being erected and focused on protecting her votebank. This is politics of a different rotten flavor which popularly addressed as Votebank politics.

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.