Move On And Get Modi Tried
By Subhash Gatade
01 April, 2005
Countercurrents.orgIt is definitely a moment of celebration. After the huge embarrassment faced by the Hindutva brigade over cancellation of US visa to Modi has come another good news. Herr Modi, the anointed successor to the Advani-Atal duo had to cancel his visit to UK supposedly at the advice of the PMO. It is also being said that he himself called the PMO and his cohorts declared it as the PM personally calling him. Actually looking at the massive protests which waited him there accompanied by the inability shown by the British police to defend him who was to go on a private visit the ‘lion’ of Gujarat ( as his people declare him to be one) rather preferred to wag his tail. It is also a possibility that with the readiness shown by families of two British Muslim citizens who had been killed by the frenzied mobs in Gujarat in 2002 to file a case against Modi in the British court it was construed risky that he travels outside. His sympathizers still remembered the plight of the ex-dictator of Chile Augusot Pinochet who could save himself from arrest in Britain in late 90s over his crimes against humanity after lot of efforts.
Ofcourse alongwith celebration, it is also a time to acknowledge the sincere efforts put in by the south asian diaspora mainly from the Indian subcontinent for their resolve, determination and persistence in making it happen.
It cannot be denied that the changes in the power equations at the national level coupled with the need for refurbishing their own image after the Iraq fiasco has played an important role in the sudden realization of the Bushes about the ‘virtues of religious freedom’ but those external factors in no way undermine the efforts put in by the secular diaspora.
It has been quite some time that they had been putting in efforts to expose the anti-human policies of the Sangh Parivar, to demonstrate how a section among the diaspora itself has succumbed to its fascist politics and focussed on the way in which Herr Narendra Modi spearheaded the genocide in Gujarat. Even a close look at the list of the organizations in US which formed part of the ‘Coalition against Genocide’ makes it clear that it was infact a rainbow coalition which had on the one hand many left intellectual-activists as its members but on the other hand many religious foundations/formations like the Vedanta society had also joined together with these efforts.
The overseas community of these secular and democratic minded people mainly based in USA and Britain who yearn for a more humane, more just subcontinent free of hatred among its own people towards each other definitely deserve a BIG THANKS for their efforts. During the dark times which we passed through when the secular-democratic forces in the country had been put on the defensive during the regime of the ‘Swayamsevak’ Prime minister, their efforts in very many ways had come as a silver lining. May it be their efforts in bringing out the ‘Funding Hate’ report or similar report by the Awaaz people in Britain which proved in no uncertain terms how the Hindutva goons based there collect funds from wellmeaning people there supposedly for development work and channel the money collected to spread hate or the similar campaigns they took up with limited resources had always enthused us. It cannot be forgotten that they kept exposing the links between the Hindutva groups with the Zionist groups there and explained how despite having altogether contrary opinion about the ‘social engineering’ project of Hitler dotted with Aushchwitzs, how ‘hatred towards Islam’ is acting as a binding force for them.
And now when ‘our very Indian Nero’ was basking in the glory of being an anointed successor and when the media had also long forgotten the crimes against humanity committed during his regime, the way our friends in that part of the globe were able to thwart his visit to USA as well as UK is really commendable. The formation of ‘Coalition against Genocide’ to stop him from coming to USA and similar efforts by our other comrades from Britain, all put together have definitely helped bring back into focus the anti-human weltanshaaung of the communal fascists in general and Narendra Modi’s acts of commission and omission in particular.
A look at any of the Hindutva websites, or for that matter the way in which this anti human project has been able to get wider recognition among the educated sections in the diaspora, one can easily imagine that the secular-democratic fringe of the diaspora must have faced heavy odds in their efforts. The way many among them were put on the ‘hit list’, the way slanderous campaigns were carried out against many of them, the way appeals were sent to various security agencies to tell them that they were ‘terrorists’ – all must have caused them lot of problems and must have put them to lot of discomfirt. But undeterred by all such ganging up of the H brigade people there they trudged on and did not for moment stopped to be vigilant.
Definitely all of us can have solace from the fact that a ‘slap on the poster boy’s face’ has caused the Parivar people lot of embarrassment and are not able to explain it to their cadres their sudden change of fate vis-à-vis US regime. Perhaps they had not expected that their services to the US imperialism since the days of the Vietnam war ( when their Guruji had blatantly supported the invasion) would not be so easily forgotten. Perhaps they had not expected that their going out of way to be in the good books of George Bush during the six years of their regime would not be so easily forgotten. Poor fellows, they must have forgotten the old dictum that in the game of politics there are no permanent friends nor enemies.
But this tactical victory has rather increased our responsibility further. And there is need to think over the new challenges in store for us. The ‘Jor ka Jhatka Dheere Se Lage’ episode has largely demonstrated that western countries would be more amenable to any legal action against ‘India’s very own Nero’. Ofcourse they would be acting out of their own compulsions to refurbish their image which has gathered a lot of anti Islamic colour thanks to their unjustified attack on Iraq. And taking into consideration this change we should see to it that ‘India’s Nero’ gets indicted in the innumerable acts against humanity which he committed. If Augusto Pinochet the blood thirsty dictator of Chile who killed thousands to innocents after overthrowing a popular regime with due support of the CIA, could be caught nearly 25 years after his genocidal role on a foreign soil, if Slobodan Milosevic who rediscovered the phenomenon of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in early 90 s is forced to stand before an international court for the bloody regime he led, ‘India’s Nero’ is a small fry. There are number of ways in which he could be forced to appear before an intenational court.
Looking at the various options available before us in making it happen, a word or two about the necessity of taking it up with urgency is worth deliberating. All of us are aware that the Hindutva brigade might have lost power at the center but that does not mean there are no chances of its revival. We will be living in a fools paradise if we think that their exit from the citadels of power would help them gain a few pearls of wisdom, rather it has made them more dangerous vis-à-vis their project of Hindutva. They are going full steam ahead on their trajectory wherever they have been able to stick to power. Secondly, it is also a fact that till date no major figure has been indicted for her/his role in a communal riot. And if we are able to pin him down it would set a precedent. Thirdly, looking at the fourty plus reports by national and international human rights organizations looking into the various aspects of the genocide build a strong case against him. Perhaps the very first comprehensive report brought out by Justice V.K.Krishna Aiyar, Justice Hosbet Suresh, Justice P.B. Sawant and others on the Gujarat genocide had made it clear that on the basis of their report only Mr Modi can be tried for genocide. Fourthly, since the Hindutva brigade people are essentially cowards ( one need not go ab initio into their ‘glorious history of cowardice’ which starts from the times of independence struggle and continues till date) if their ‘poster boy’ could be compelled to face music in some way or the other for his application of Newtonian dynamics in the field of social systems, they would be compelled to mend their ways.
One is not under the illusion that a single indictment would help the ‘tiger loose its stripes’ and the H brigade would metamorphose into Gandhi’s non-violent sainiks. The gigantic task of giving a decisive defeat to the communal fascism of the Sangh Parivar demands similar gigantic efforts put in with lot of creativity. We will have to get ready to do lot of introspection about the way in which they could become such a dominant force.
Countdown for India’s Nero has definitely begun. But it is not a simple task. It is time we put our heads together so that it happens. And let us be very clear our friends active in the ‘belly of the beast’ or on the soil of our excolonisers have to play an important role in this venture.
Looking at the panic in the parivar over the ‘slap’ on their mouth there is no doubt that unlike Pinochet or Milosevic, they would rather prefer to dump him to defend himself for his crimes against humanity. The day is not far off when the biggest organizer of genocide in the wee hours of the 21 st century would be cooling his heels behind iron bars.
One of the foremost poets of the subcontinent has rightly said in one of his najms :
Unhi Hamesha Uljhati Rahi Hai Julm Se Khalq/ Na Unki Rasm Nayi Hai Na Apni Reet Nayi
Unhi Hamesha Khilaye Hai Hamne Aag Mein Phool/Na Unki Haar Nayi Hai Na Apni Jeet Nayi
