# This post is going to be meandering, it is unavoidable. Also, in end, I will end up in a unflattering light, that too is unavoidable.
# This post in part is a response to Frogji and xyzji
Now speaking as someone who stands on a particular side on the political debates, an uncomfortable observation is that how any discussion on Hindu-Muslims riots quickly descend to rationalization and justification. Of course there is some truth to it. For reasons not difficult to fathom the overall secular narrative has always been Muslims in role of victims and Hindu "fundamentalist" as the villain, with secularist the only force defending former from later. In reality Muslims are not always lamb and butchers are not always Hindu fundamentalists. However, even accounting for that too much of tap dancing goes on the question of culpability of mob when it is Hindu, possibly this happens on the other side also. Some one remarked at DataNazi (invoking DDD no less !!) that this behaviour is not human. I disagree, this tendency to rationalize or explain away any crime of the group one belongs to is too human. It is natural that man, being a social animal will fight and defend for his social grouping. Now we take this for granted in a tribal setting. The mistake is assuming once human have evolved from a tribal society the instincts which were extant in a tribal society cease to have any effect. In reality it is not as much that the instincts have ceased to be driver as the caused by interaction which have been mitigated by the changed scenario most important being the decrease in severity due to identity conflict. This decrease means that the situations where this conflict of loyalties triggers actual violence is far less likely to occur. However what has happened in India is that identity conflict is still relevant and always simmers beneath the surface. As I have said earlier unless and until this conflict is resolved, the religious acrimony is inevitable.
Nevertheless the point remains, what about Narendra Modi. The simplest answer is, one if the judiciary finds him guilty he should be punished, second people of Gujarat have the option of reject him. Now I doubt that there is any evidence to charge Narendra Modi against, for the simple reason that if there were any evidence surely a hostile UPA government would have done its best to plot the downfall of Narendra Modi. Further since I find the idea of deciding my moral outlook on basis of what is popular, taken together with religious acrimony, I place no importance upon democratic endorsement or otherwise of Modi. Also as I have said earlier I think Narendra Modi has something to answer to.
So then why near absence of any commentary on Gujarat riots on this blog, why this lack of righteous indignation and hand wringing. The reason for that is same as why the identity conflict, the fault lines still persists. Partly it is anxiety to shield present day India Muslims from the less than flattering history of Islam in India which prompts to embellish past. But there is a more serious reason, which is this outrage over Gujarat riots has less to do with high moral position, and more to do with the fact it is a long running theater staged by secular establishment for its own ends. As much heartless as it may sound, Hindu-Muslims violence is but a device in the larger battle for Indian mind & soul. The secularists want to erase any consciousness of Indian history, for the Indian past is against the project of secularism, a formless hollow thought devoid of any purpose or vitality.
A confession is in order here. My political outlook has been formed by two events, one firing on Karsevak by Mulayam Singh, second is secular response, which should be properly called smear and lies to Godhra. I don't blame Muslims for both. True the mob which burned Sabarmati express was Muslim, but those who spread the lies were secularist, first and last.
Both these events informed me that the secularists don't give a shit about Hindus. Which means if I care about my religion, then I must join the battle which secularists have been waging against Hinduism and Indic civilization
In this war Indian Muslims willingly struck a Faustian bargain with Indian secularists, providing ever willing shoulder to fire upon the Hindus. So the secularists who promised to act as guardian should fulfill their side of the bargain and defend Muslims. I have my own battle to fight. Is Narendra Modi a scum ? Possibly, yes. But as FDR may or may not have said, at least he is our scum.
PS: It is still somewhat of mystery to me, what exactly people who are attempting to push Narendra Modi on National Stage are thinking. He is simply too divisive figure. BJP needs a uniter not a divider.
Why can't they listen to Prasannaji !
