The Hindu : A credible probe needed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 28, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

A credible probe needed

IN THE ALREADY politically volatile State of Gujarat, the murder of a former BJP Minister, Haren Pandya, a strong critic of the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, in broad daylight in a busy locality raises disturbing questions about security and the law and order situation. Although Mr. Modi sought to deflate criticism by straightaway asking the Centre to institute an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the killing of his prominent rival within the ruling party should provide enough ammunition for the Congress Opposition. Investigations are yet to make any headway, but while the Congress is throwing a mixture of innuendo and allegations at Mr. Modi, the State Government is going to the other extreme of ruling out the possibility of the killing being a "political murder". And, the BJP, the VHP and other Hindutva forces are trying to portray the murder as part of "jehadi" killings. All these only underscore the need for a quick and impartial probe by the Central agency to put at rest all doubts in the public mind about the killing of a high-profile leader.

Although Mr. Pandya had slipped off from the centrestage of Gujarat politics after he was denied the ticket in the Assembly election at the instance of Mr. Modi, he still symbolised the resistance to the Modi brand of politics within the State unit of the BJP. His differences with Mr. Modi might have flowed from an intense political rivalry rather than any ideological dispute, but Mr. Pandya, a confidant of the former Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, another anti-Modi face in the BJP camp, showed the capability, when it mattered the most, to take on the hate politics of Moditva. He was widely believed to have been the Minister who appeared before an independent tribunal probing the Gujarat riots and exposed the complicity of the State machinery in the systematic violence against the minorities. The controversy over his appearance before the tribunal finally led to his resignation from the Modi Cabinet in August 2002. Indeed, this cost him his Assembly constituency too in the year-end election, as Mr. Modi managed to keep him out of the electoral race despite his enjoying the backing of the BJP high command. The murder happened when he was about to be made a member of the party's national executive. The new post would have taken him away from Mr. Modi's sphere of influence even while serving as a reward for his adherence to party discipline during a difficult period.

Apart from acting as a check on Mr. Modi, Mr. Pandya had also alienated powerful sections in the State during his tenure in the Keshubhai Patel Ministry. In June 2000, he acted tough following a violent conflict between two major cable television operators even at the risk of inviting the wrath of a ministerial colleague. At that time too, he had threatened to resign, but Mr. Patel persuaded him to stay. And, subsequent to the January 2001 earthquake, he detained a few powerful builders holding them responsible for the collapse of some buildings. Without doubt, Mr. Pandya had more than his share of enemies during his years as a Minister in Gujarat. And, although Mr. Pandya had not communicated to the State Government any threat perception, the withdrawal of his personal security has also become a matter of controversy. Several theories have been floated about his murder. Whether a CBI inquiry is instituted because of the suspected involvement of inter-State gangsters, or because of the need to enhance the credibility of the investigations, it is imperative to probe the murder from all angles in a transparent and credible manner.

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