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Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008
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Centre flayed for spurt in violence

Neena Vyas and K.V. Prasad

BJP, CPI(M) cite different reasons for increase in communal incidents; Basu blames rural inequities

BJP leaders touched on issue of conversions
Several members called for ban on Bajrang Dal

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) led the charge against the government at the National Integration Council (NIC) meeting here on Monday, citing entirely different reasons for the spurt in communal and caste violence in the country.

While the BJP blamed the increasing violence on “vote bank politics” and “lack of political will” to tackle terrorism, the CPI (M) said lack of land reforms, regional imbalances, majoritarian communalism giving rise to minority communalism and neo-liberal economic policies were responsible for socio-economic conditions that led to strife and conflict between various groups of people.

Veteran CPI (M) leader Jyoti Basu, who was unable to attend the NIC because of ill-health, sent his suggestions through a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He blamed rural inequities as a result of “concentration of land” in the hands of a few for what was happening currently, pointing out that the Congress and other parties had not implemented the Land Reforms Act of the 1950s. He also referred to the “marauding forays of multi-national companies” set loose by the neo-liberal economic policies being followed.

Rajnath condemns violence

BJP president Rajnath Singh said “violence against any religion is condemnable and cannot be endorsed in any form.”

He demanded a “curb” on religious conversions while Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi blamed “mass religious conversions by coercion and allurement” for disturbance of communal peace in several regions. Mr. Modi, whose speech was taken as read and circulated, demanded that “intellectuals” citing human rights violations in support of “these elements [alleged terrorists]” should be “isolated” and “deterrent punishment” meted out “to keep youth away from indoctrination.”

Several members demanded the immediate banning of the Bajrang Dal, holding it responsible for vicious attacks on Christians in Orissa, Karnataka and elsewhere. CPI (M) member Sitaram Yechury, who articulated this demand forcefully, said his party did not think that recourse to Article 356 of the Constitution to dismiss an elected government could solve any problems.

In this context, BJP leaders, including Mr. Singh, Mr. Modi and Ms. Sushma Swaraj, made the point that “the Bajrang Dal cannot be equated with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India” because “the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Dal are nationalist organisations.”

Ms. Swaraj later also made it clear that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani did not attend the meeting as he had a previous engagement in Kerala.

Almost all BJP leaders touched on the issue of conversions, stopping short of asking for a ban on conversions altogether.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said clashes in his State had occurred “because of conflict of interest in land rights and employment opportunities” although Orissa was largely peaceful. He said the State had undertaken “a slew of measures to facilitate harmonious development of all communities.”

“At war with itself”

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal attacked the Congress for the Haryana government’s attempt to encourage a split in the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.

He warned that if this was implemented, it would “take Punjab back to the dark days of 1980s and 90s,” that is, the days of Khalistani terrorism.

Mr. Badal used strong language to describe the current scenario with communal clashes erupting in several States. “India seems to be at war with itself,” he noted.

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