The Hindu : Collateral damage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 06, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Collateral damage

By Sudhanshu Ranade

Some important points were missed in the course of the parliamentary debate on Godhra earlier this week. First, over the past few weeks we have killed in peacetime twice as many as Ariel Sharon has done in the course of his all-out war — and there is a serious danger of our becoming or being made use of as a sort of lightning rod in international politics.

Second, though it is absurd to suggest that plans for the riots in Gujarat were put in place even before anything had happened in Godhra, the violence cannot really be called spontaneous. Because some people predictably used the opportunity to fight their own private wars. And because this sort of `spontaneous' violence against non-combatants, both Hindus and Muslims, is the direct result of the deliberate and long-continuing efforts of Hindutva hardliners to push Muslims into a corner. Given the generalised increase of intense tensions, it is hard to predict when and where violence will suddenly break out next. But everything does not somehow become all right just because rightwingers are content to leave such details to the will of God. In other words, one must view as a threat rather than an `apprehension' the RSS statement that though it has no objection to Narendra Modi's removal, whether he stays or goes there will be `many more Godhras' — which the VHP will of course cynically make use of to inflame people again and again.

One last thing. The saner elements in the BJP have by now realised that the `trishuldhari' Hindutva can only take us on a painful and roundabout journey to nowhere. They have realised that even if they manage to vindicate themselves through elections in Gujarat, this will add to the problems of governance rather than reduce them. Hopefully they have begun serious efforts to restructure their strategy in the light of Manu's dictum that a good `dhobi' must be able to wash off dirt without washing away the colours as well, or ripping the fabric to shreds. If so, there is a chance that the nation can continue on its journey without ever reaching Godhra again.

On the other hand, given the large number of trigger-happy elements in the BJP, it is possible that better sense will prevail only if it is thrown out of power — in which case even the saner elements will have no use for it.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

Stories in this Section

Another hawk down

Revamping the criminal justice system

A thaw is nowhere in sight

Education as a fundamental right

Collateral damage

'Think it possible you may be mistaken'