NRI ad asks Indian government to stop Gujarat killings By Frederick Noronha, Indo-Asian News Service
Panaji, Apr 14 (IANS) Beleaguered by allies and pilloried by public opinion, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now been taken to task by an advertisement sponsored by NRIs based in the U.S. As the three-day national executive of the BJP ended in Goa Sunday, a section of the press published a full-page advert that urged the government to "stop the killing(s) in Gujarat at once, please!" "We are deeply anguished by the gruesome atrocities happening in Gujarat. We are also appalled that the government has not been able to stop the killing(s) even after 40 days," said the advertisement, sponsored by individuals in Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey and predominantly Indian localities in the U.S. It is also supported by U.S.-based organisations like the India Foundation in East Lansing (Michigan), India League of America, Seva International, Vaishnava Centre for Enlightenment, the Vedanta Society of East Lansing and Association of Indian Muslims of America in Washington. It asks the Indian government to "protect (the) life and property of all citizens, provide immediate and long-term assistance, prosecute attackers of innocent men, women and children, promote harmony groups to prevent future tragedies, and publish an action-taken report in 30 days." Asking the government to restore immediate peace in Gujarat, it added: "You must vigorously prosecute and punish criminals and their supporters, regardless of how high or low a position they hold." The advert comes in the wake of criticism in print closer home. On the first day of the national executive, the Herald, an English daily in Goa, devoted an entire page to articles criticising the sectarian violence in Gujarat, which has claimed nearly 830 lives. One of the articles was by a former official in the federal administrative service, who enumerated why the Gujarat violence had "brought shame and more shame to India." The other was a case by the industry, pointing out that "secularism is good for business." The critical articles appeared opposite a full-page ad issued by the BJP-run state government, welcoming "poet, statesman and Prime Minister" Vajpayee to Goa. The protest against the Gujarat killings spilled on to the streets of Panaji Saturday with a group, the Forum for Communal Harmony, taking out a peace march to protest against the "state-abetted sectarian killings in Gujarat." Marchers carried placards that read: "Mr Prime Minister, hide your face in shame... from the women and children of Gujarat" and "India's tradition is peace and sectarian harmony." The rally demanded the dismissal of the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat and imposition of federal rule. It also demanded an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the burning of a train at Gujarat's Godhra town February 27 that led to the death of 58 Hindus and the anti-Muslim violence that followed. Around 830 people have in the state, and most victims have been Muslims. --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
