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We have not yet heard Modi tapes: BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI SEPT. 16. Even as the Congress came down heavily on the "communally combustible content'' of the speeches of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, the BJP continued to pretend that it had not heard the Modi audio tapes that were played throughout the day on a television channel on Sunday.

The BJP spokesperson, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, added fuel to fire when he said the "problem cannot be solved if the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, worries about Gujarat.'' Mr. Naqvi had nothing to say when he was asked whether it meant that if Gen. Musharraf were to raise the issue the BJP would justify the killing of more Muslims in Gujarat.

The Congress spokesperson, Jaipal Reddy, did not mince words when he attacked Mr. Modi for "spreading hate between communities'' during the course of his `gaurav rath yatra' although it was the responsibility of any Chief Minister to ensure law and order in the State and peace between different sections of society.

Mr. Reddy said that even more disturbing was the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's approval of Mr. Modi and his communal tactics. This, he said, "had pushed India into a qualitatively new political crisis.''

Mr. Naqvi had stated that he had not heard the Modi tapes played on television. On Sunday, the BJP president, Venkaiah Naidu, had also adopted a similar stance. ``There has been no further development since last week when Mr. Modi had explained to Mr. Naidu that he had been misreported by the press and had not said anything derogatory about the Muslims,'' Mr. Naqvi maintained.

But he did add that as a political party, although the BJP could win elections "without the Muslim vote'' and form a government "without Muslim support'' it should win the confidence of every section of society, including the Muslims. Were Mr. Modi's utterances calculated to win their confidence? There was no answer as Mr. Naqvi said he had not heard what Mr. Modi had said.

The Gujarat Chief Minister, as heard on the tapes, had in fact said that the Government cannot provide baby-producing centres if "they'' were bent upon adopting the formula "hum paanch, hamare pachchees'' (we five — one man and four wives — and our children 25). He had virtually alleged that poverty in the State was the direct result of such "breeding'' and had warned that they needed to be "taught a lesson.''

After the Godhra carnage the general refrain from the Sangh Parivar activists was also similar — the massacre of the Muslims in the rest of Gujarat was aimed at "teaching them a lesson.''

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