Academic and writer Madhu Purnima Kishwar on Friday alleged that there is a systematic campaign to demonise Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi because “he put an end to politics of riot”.
Speaking at the release of her book Modi, Muslims and Media , she said that Mr. Modi understood the futility of communal riots. He contained a “crime syndicate on which the Congress depended in Gujarat” and this was one of the reasons for painting him in bad light, she alleged.
She said she had little or “zero connection” with BJP or Mr. Modi. After listening to the negative propaganda against Mr. Modi and contradictory stories of the “great progress” that Gujarat witnessed under him, she decided to investigate. Her opinion is that instead of “celebrating such a man”, every attempt is being made to demonise him.
She said that while other parts of the country witnessed communal riots in recent years, not even a single incident was reported in Gujarat in the past 12 years. Mr. Modi had not delivered even one hate speech, but had spoken about inclusive growth. Even the Muslim community had supported him in the past decade. “Unable to stomach the growth of Mr. Modi, Congress maligned him,” she added. She said that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the 1992 Mumbai riots were engineered by political parties. But, the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat were not a pogrom as being alleged by a section of society and media, she argued.
She said that Mr. Modi put down the post-Godhra riots in record time and summoned the Army to contain the violence.“Of course, there was a good amount of retaliatory violence. Muslims suffered more,” she said.
