(A series of tweets that went out earlier this evening. Collected as a single post here).
There's an open letter about Gujarat. There's a Vibrant Gujarat summit. And as always, there's plenty of hot-headed defence of Modi.
Also as always, his defenders sometimes seem baffled that there are actually some who are not enamoured of him. This is for them.
Know that your fellow Indians slaughtered about 1000 fellow Indians in Gujarat in '02. The families of the dead deserve justice.
Know that plenty of your fellow Indians don't believe all those families have found justice.
Know that plenty of us think justice is fundamental to the functioning of a society.
Know that good roads & efficient administration are fine - only what we expect from a government - but don't substitute for justice.
Know that victories in elections are also fine - and kudos to Modi for winning - but they don't substitute for justice either.
Know that plenty of us believe Modi, as CM, is ultimately responsible for the safety of his state's residents.
Know that we believe he failed that responsibility in 2002.
Know that we believe he must be held politically accountable for that failure in 2002.
Know that it mystifies us that you don't want to hold him politically accountable for that failure. That you instead applaud him.
Know that maybe it doesn't mystify us.
Know that we will keep the chorus for accountability going until it happens. We're patient.
Know that, finally, if you choose to be uncritical fans of Modi, it's not incumbent on the rest of us to be uncritical fans too.
17 comments:
Good post. I like this... the 'sane' voice. You are on the right path.
Glad to see you posting here again...
Would you be as critical of the central government for their misdeeds also?
ROFL! From the claim that Narendra Modi hatched a conspiracy resulting in the slaughter of 3000 Muslims with no Hindus dying, you have now watered down the claim to Indians killed Indians and a 1000 people were killed.
What happened? When did you decide to move towards the truth even though your statement is only half the truth?
The real movement towards the truth that's required is from you. Because you start with a total lie: I have never once claimed that "Modi hatched a conspiracy resulting in the slaughter of 3000 Muslims with no Hindus dying".
So when you decide to deal in truth instead of lies, we'll talk.
Of course, you supported the claim that 3000 Muslims were killed when Teesta Setalvad and Girish Karnad made such claims. Over the years, you have supported various individuals and organizations who have fabricated the number of Muslims who were killed and who have suppressed Hindu deaths.
Your hateful agenda shows. Notice how you have to resort to another lie by claiming that I accused you of writing the exact words posted here rather than simply pointing out that you supported one widely made claim and have now moved towards another.
Your words Jan 19 715am: From the claim that Narendra Modi hatched a conspiracy resulting in the slaughter of 3000 Muslims with no Hindus dying, you have now watered down the claim...
Your words Jan 20 246am: you have to resort to another lie by claiming that I accused you of writing the exact words posted here...
So what's it to be, sir? Jan 19, when you explicitly say I made that "claim", or Jan 20, when you say I lied when I pointed out that you said I made it? Or Jan 21, when you'll flip-flop to something else?
Don't worry, I have noted how the word "supported" has wormed its way into your Jan 20 comment. There's a difference between saying "you have" and "you supported", of course.
Like I said, when you decide to deal in truth, we'll talk.
"From the claim" is much broader than the spin you give. Don't try to evade the issue by trying to parse words in a convenient manner. My words were clear. You have definitely moved closer to the truth now. You have supported the claims of 3000 dead in the past as I pointed out earlier (sometimes the claim would be 2000 Muslims, sometimes 3000).
This was done in various ways, primarily by supporting Teesta Setalvad knowing fully well that she lied about the numbers as well as the existence of a conspiracy hatched by Modi.
Also, you can cry as much as you want for political accountability. You are free to do that. That is what elections are for. People can vote out incompetent people and vote in more competent people. Courts are for criminal accountability. When you want the courts to go after Modi despite admitting that you do not believe that he hatched the conspiracy to kill Muslims (which you have now effectively done in this thread), you want to go after an innocent man and arrest him for no reason other than that he is a Hindu.
If your complaint is that riots took place in the first four months of Modi's chief ministership and so you do not think he did a great job, sure, go ahead and put up a better candidate in the elections.
Note that the Gujarat riots are not comparable to the riots of 1984 which was one-sided with only Sikhs being killed and this was planned by PC Alexander, Jagdish Tytler and Rajiv Gandhi (three Christians).
Here is the truth:
"fascist mastermind of state sponsored genocide" is the exact wording in a petition you endorsed from this blog site.
Now you claim you never accused Modi of hatching any conspiracy!
Right there you got caught in another falsehood. And of course, you have been endorsing those who have suppressed the deaths of Hindus in the post-Godhra riots just as you yourself have suppressed them in your articles.
Allow me to repeat:
Your words Jan 19 715am: From the claim that Narendra Modi hatched a conspiracy resulting in the slaughter of 3000 Muslims with no Hindus dying, you have now watered down the claim...
Your words Jan 20 246am: you have to resort to another lie by claiming that I accused you of writing the exact words posted here...
You decide to deal in truth, we'll talk. Your choice.
There is not much to be gained from this but I will attempt anyhow. Loud posts by Anoynymous above do not achieve anything. But to the author:
There is one statement the majority in Gujarat always speaks up:
"Secular mongrels who bark so loudly at Modi and Gujarat are completely silent on both the provokation of Godhra and the communal violence under Congress regimes."
Why do you address just one side in your post? There are thousands of leaders who are flourishing on communal hate. This one was about a reaction to an action by the minority community.
Isn't your call of justice too premature? Isn't this the wrong question altogether and the wrong premise to begin the reforms with? Can we leave the involved parties aside and go back to the community and see how to prevent it at grassroots?
For our children at least.
Why do you address just one side in your post?
What do you say? The lines in this post says "Know that your fellow Indians slaughtered about 1000 fellow Indians in Gujarat in '02. The families of the dead deserve justice."
In what sense does this refer to "just one side"? In fact, which side do you refer to? Is Godhra not in Gujarat? Is Ahmedabad not in Gujarat? Is Dehlol not in Gujarat?
I'm concerned about every killing in Gujarat in those weeks in '02. Are you not? I don't assume that you are not; why do you assume that about me?
Of course this is for our children. That's a big reason I wrote this post.
Again, 3 million Indians died under the rule of the British and Winston Churchill, and another 500,000 or so people died during partition, when the British were still effectively exercising power. Have they ever been held to account?
Yes. Thank you!
Thanks Dilip. Well said. An mystified by the fact that while 1000 people died in unnatural circumstances under his watch, sections of the population still hold him in such high regard and so strenuously defend him.
n!
That's largely because he is praised for Gujarat's economic success and achievements.
"An mystified by the fact that while 1000 people died in unnatural circumstances under his watch, sections of the population still hold him in such high regard and so strenuously defend him."
That's because he is praised for Gujarat's economic achievements and success.
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