WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE Margaret Mascarenhas The lesser of two evils Over the past 4 years, which is the tenure of the BJP leadership in Gujarat, the magazine Communalism Combat has published a number of special reports drawing attention to the insidious signs of a fascist anti-minority build-up in the state, which includes a systematic politicization of the police and blatant communal propaganda from sectarian publications such as Sandesh and Gujarat Samachar. Even though the provocative behavior of the ram sevaks on board the Sabarmati Express has been widely documented by the secular press, the torching of bogey S-6 is clearly indefensible. However, the statement of Narendra Modi, who has been staunchly defended by the BJP everywhere, when he called subsequent targeted assaults on Muslims (which included the rape, mutilation and burning of hundreds of civilians) in 16 districts "a natural reaction" is even more reprehensible, given that it came from the mouth of a man who is by law supposed to represent ALL the people of Gujarat. It is in clear violation of the principle of the Representation of the People Act.
Last week I watched a documentary at the TB de Cunha Hall in which the eyewitness account of a 10 year old boy describes the stomach of a pregnant Muslim woman being slit open, the fetus ripped out, the fetus thrown in the air, and caught on a trishul. If this behavior is "natural", then India has regressed to a Cro-Magnon stage of evolution. Today I received yet another spam mailer from the Goa BJP lauding the remarks of Union Telecommunications Minister, Pramod Mahajan, on May 20: "Taking on the Congress head on over its attempt to impose the Gujarat incident as an agenda on the electorate of the state, Mr Mahajan said that the issue of Gujarat, while relevant to the nation, had nothing to do with the May 30 election in Goa. Think of the leadership of Goa, think of the issues that the state of Goa faced. If you want to talk of the Gujarat violence, then begin with Godhra, not Goa, he remarked, adding that it was from Godhra that the Gujarat violence began. " Even if we begin with Godhra, this does not paint a pretty future for Goa under a BJP leadership. I suggest the people of Goa begin with Goa. Whatever the manifesto of a political party, once in power, it is constitutionally bound to represent all sections of society. When the VHP called an all-India bandh following the Godhra incident, Goa's acting CM, Manohar Parrikar, publicly declared the bandh a success. Which led many to legitimately wonder whether he was functioning as a representative of the people of Goa or as a mouthpiece of the VHP. Goa had a faint whiff of Gujarat, and a taste of the potential future, that day, when thugs ran amuck, enforcing the bandh and terrorizing shopkeepers and people on the road. To my knowledge, none of the thugs were arrested. If the situation in Gujarat has, according to Mahajan, nothing to do with Goa, then why did Manohar Parrikar declare the Gujarat -related bandh a success? Is this his idea of good governance? Here is an example of VHP-speak from Acharya Giriraj Kishore (senior vice-president, VHP) in a pre-Godhra interview with rediff.com on February 7, 2002: "These self-appointed secularists can no longer fool the Hindus who are aware of the elaborate plan to damage our religion and religious beliefs. Take it from me that our level of tolerance can be stretched no more. And those who come in our way will be pulverized." Pulverized? Secular Hindus who read this must be wondering what planet they are on. But, back to Goa. Isn't anybody wondering how it came to pass that the RSS recently commandeered the grounds of the Sharada Mandir school, a secular institution? Could this occur under a secular government? The BJP in Goa has promised a corrupt-free government, but so far, none of the participants in last year's Miramar sex scandal have been charge-sheeted and the issue has mysteriously faded into the woodwork. And who among us can forget the sight of the former BJP party president accepting illegal funds with his own hands on the video taken by Tehelka.com, which was broadcast globally. What does it matter who funded Tehelka? He took the money. Having said all this, I realize that the Goan electorate is still caught between a rock and a hard place. Disappointing even to Congress grass-roots workers, the party has fielded the same candidates who have, in the past, created instability and betrayed the electorate. Meanwhile, Dr Willie de Sousa's idea of an election platform is ludicrous-screaming about defectors-and a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black, if I ever heard one, coming from the father of defection in Goa whose only political claim to fame is the toppling of governments but never of governing. His only contribution this time around will be to split the vote. Nevertheless, an anguished Hindu gentleman I spoke with recently made this chilling remark in regard to May 30th: " If my only option is to choose between a corrupt member of a secular party and a card-carrying fascist, I will choose the corrupt politician; it is the lesser of two evils." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-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 !!
