Minorities Thank the German Parliamentarians on their Gujarat Stand
Earlier last month, two German Parliamentarians – ruling Christian Democratic Union’s Ute Granold and her colleague Pascal Kober from the Free Democratic Party – visited Gujarat and justifying their denial of Germany’s visa to Chief Minister Narendra Modi referred him as a “dictator”. They also drew parallels between Gujarat under Modi and Germany under Hitler.
A furious Mr. Modi moved the Government of India and demanded an apology from Germany contending their Parliamentarians have “tarnished the image” of Gujarat and India.
Parliamentarians Ute Granold and Pascal Kober, however, were not wrong in their observation. They had learnt first-hand what millions of others, including the heads of all states, governments, judiciary, and many international bodies know about Mr. Modi, his ideology of hate, his acts of omissions and commissions in the Gujarat genocide of 2002, and his strategy of projecting well planned genocide as a spontaneous communal riot to hoodwink the legal system of Gujarat, India and the world.
In fact BBC (UK) in April 2002 said, “far from being spontaneous, it [the riot] was planned, possibly months in advance, carried out by an extremist Hindu organization with the support of the state government.”
Mr. Modi’s strong anti minority bias is also evident from his actions of the last eight years. He continues to deny justice to the victims of Gujarat massacre, he has locked up hundreds of innocent Muslims in Gujarat prisons under draconian Prevention Of Terrorist Acts (POTA) ordinance for years without any charge, several innocent Muslims have been killed in fake police encounters.
Under his watch perpetrators of the massacre roam free and continue terrorizing minorities in Gujarat, minorities are forced to live in ghettos, Mr. Modi refuses to support minority educational institutions and lets minority localities (such as Juhapura and Shah Alam in Ahmedabad) deteriorate with lack of road maintenance, garbage pickup, or provision of necessary civic facilities in the guise of limited resources, better utilization of time, or prevention of terrorism. Parliamentarians Ute Granold and Pascal Kober have only stated what they actually saw in Gujarat, which is nothing but the truth.
Over these eight years, Mr. Modi has succeeded not only in hoodwinking India’s legal system and escaping accountability, but has utilized the genocide to increase his popularity and power base in Gujarat. Most unbiased observers agree with Parliamentarians Ute Granold and Pascal Kober, exception being the few supporters of fascism or those who seek favors from Mr. Modi.
One such exception is the Muslim industrialist Mr. Zafar Sareshwala who has condemned the two Parliamentarians for criticizing Mr. Modi. Sareshwala’s defense of Modi is out of his own selfish interest which has long been exposed. He is a well to do businessman with business interests in Gujarat that Mr Modi had threatened in the 2002 pogrom. To save his business interests Mr Sareshwala has chosen to become a collaborator with Mr Modi and support his fascist policies.
In the aftermath of the Gujarat massacre, Mr. Modi’s supporters had touted Gujarat as the successful “Hindutva Laboratory” and pledged to replicate “Gujarat Experiment” all over India. It is to the credit of the Indian people, majority of whom are Hindus, that they did not succeed. Although the wheel of Indian justice has not stopped moving on Mr. Modi’s crimes, outside help can ensure it will not. Nor the gaps in it would let Mr. Modi escape as he had planned. That clever Modi-plan must be superseded with an Intelligent-plan without borders that ensures justice to all.
Parliamentarians Ute Granold and Pascal Kober have taken the bold step towards that intelligent plan. We admire them and ask others to follow their lead in order to bring Mr. Modi to justice.
CONTACT:
Dr. Najid Hussain
38 Orchid Drive
Bear, DE 19701
U.S.A.
(302) 834-5426
REFERENCES
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5489410,00.html
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/German-team-s-remark–Modi-writes-to-P…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1951471.stm
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264873
http://www.sacw.net/Gujarat2002/Dube_Jowher15August2004.html
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=C9A603A14687BAE380256DD…
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/the-politics-of-a-fake-encounter/39854-3-p2.h…
http://www.tehelka.com/home/20071103/
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0705/p07s02-wosc.html
http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01052002/0105200219.htm
http://www.frontline.in/fl2020/stories/20031010003303900.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8011615.stm
http://www.milligazette.com/dailyupdate/2003/20030823.htm
http://www.countercurrents.org/guj-rajagopal260703.htm
Organizational Endorsements:
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Ahsan Jafri Foundation
Association of Indian Muslims of America
Indian Muslim Council – USA
