www.sacw.net > Communalism Repository | August 11, 2005
URL: http://www.sacw.net/DC/CommunalismCollection/ArticlesArchive/VBrawat11082005.htmlShameless collaborators
by V.B.Rawat
The ghost of the 1984 massacre of Sikhs has returned to haunt the
Congress. For two days you make noise in the parliament and then ask a
person to resign. It's good but not enough. We know it well that the
Congress party want to look good as Sikhs seems to have been enjoying
'their' prime minister as well as Chief of army staff. That Punjab was
back to normalcy and the religious party of the Alkalis got defeated
in the subsequent elections because it did not deliver. Congress and
other political parties in India don't come to power on a positive
vote but on a negative mandate. This negativism of our people has
damaged the secular polity of the country. Now the small fry has gone
out of the cabinet, so government will go on an offensive. Its good
that several head rolls for the involvement but what about those who
have lost their nears and dears ones in these state sponsored
massacres.
The grave fact is that the Congress Party refused to take action
against any of the conspirators in the violence. In fact, they
occupied important positions in the party. It is not just the question
of one commission or the other. We all know how much Parliament
remained out of work during Rajiv Gandhi's regime on the report of
Thakkar-Natarajan commission where the needle of suspicion of Indira
Gandhi's assassination was pointed towards some high ups in the party.
It is strange that the secular elite which have been active elsewhere
kept conspicuous silence. Where are the people sitting on Rajghat with
candlelights? No, it would be politically incorrect for them to charge
a 'secular' regime for this. Unfortunately, we in India have been
divided in the camps. Secular camps belong to left of center
beneficiaries of the Congress and the other side we have the Hindutva
gangs. Hence when secularism is a matter of political choice between
the upper caste Congress or upper caste BJP or upper caste communists,
then all those who differ and disagree with this criminal philosophy
remains on the margins of so-called national mainstream.
One should not ignore the grave fact that minorities are slowly
becoming pawns for those in power for their narrow political gains.
And this politicisation of hate for vote started in the aftermath of
Indira Gandhi's assassination, when the government forgot all decency,
allowed slogans like 'khoon ka badla khoon se lenge', blood for blood,
on the Doordarshan regularly till she was cremated. It was time when
every Sikh was looked down as a terrorist. People may not remember but
the fact is in the forces they were splinted between different groups.
They were not trusted after some of their friends had revolted in the
army against the desecration of the golden temple complex in June
1984. The Sikh alienation continued and it was the time when
Hinduisation process of the congress was on the highest level. In
Punjab, the terrorists were targeting the innocent particularly
minority Hindus and in return feeding the communal feeling. The party
which exploited it to the best of its use was none other then Congress
party.
Indira Gandhi's assassination gave a point to the Hindu communal
elements to prove their point of how dangerous the minorities could be
if they are not controlled. Rajiv took over India. He became pride of
Hindu youths. He was the son of Bharat mata, indira Gandhi who has to
be saved from the Sikhs. For days we were watching Rajiv carrying the
dead body of his mother Indira Gandhi on his shoulder and then went to
Gaumukh to pour her ashes in the Himalayas. He then promised to purify
Ganges, though a noble gesture yet had sentimentally linked to appease
the caste Hindus. It is not unknown fact that the Sangh Parivar had
appreciated Rajiv Gandhi during this period. The parivar cadre in fact
did not vote for the BJP that time because the issue of Hindu
leadership at the helm was bigger. So congress and Rajiv was much
bigger then any other leader and that India has to be saved from the
onslaught of Sikhs. The entire country voted on a highly charged
atmosphere. Sikhs became a matter of not only jokes but also hatred.
Then Rajiv came to power with a thumping majority and wiped out the
entire opposition. Never in the independence India, had, any prime
minister got < majority in the Parliament. He was India's 'Nayak' that
time. The opposition was completely decimated. Congress became the
original Hindutva representative and duplicates got wiped out. The
people allegedly involved in the killings of Sikhs got wonderful
rewards. They got plum ministries and party position. Since the
mandate was a negative one basically to teach the Sikhs a lesson,
there was no need for any political party or government to go the Sikh
families and talk about their rehabilitation. Therefore, on the first
death anniversary of Indira Gandhi in 1985, Rajiv addressed a big
rally of the Congress workers at the vote club and said ' jab bada ped
girta hai to dharti hilati hai', when the big tree falls, the earth
tremble'. Thereafter, every anniversary of Indira Gandhi became a
point to remind others, that the mandate have exonerated him and his
party from every evils they did. In fact Rajiv promised Ramrajya later
on in his 1989 elections when charges were hurled and his Mr clean
image had got immensely hurt. It is interesting that some time he even
spoke like ' nani yaad kar denge'.
It is therefore shameful for the human rights defender's in India to
be in this or that camp. We have made ourselves a tool in the hands of
the power groups because at some point of time, every one of us is
suffering from a myopic vision of India. When ever any thing happen we
pretend that we had a golden past when we all lived together. We think
of an India where massacre happened so far were an aberration. When a
gangster burns a missionary in Orrisa, it is an aberration for our
Dalit president as if such things never happened. Dalits always faced
this victimization from the upper castes Hindus. When the Babari
Masjid was demolished we all wept that Hindus are not like that. They
are the most tolerant people. When the Muslims were slaughtered in
Mumbai in the aftermath of the Babri demolition, we again cried, oh
they are not Hindus but Shiv Sainiks. When the Muslims were killed in
Gujarat, we all came to the street that Narendra Modi is the villain
and not the Hindus. So when Hindus do something, we have different
identity for them. We never said so far that Hindus killed Sikhs or
Hindus killed Muslims but when the same thing is done by the others,
we all immediately generalized the things. Indira Gandhi was
assassinated by Sikhs so they must be taught a lesson. Train in
Godhara was burnt by the Muslims and not fanatic Muslims. Bomb blasts
in Mumbai are by the Muslims; hence they need to be taught a lesson.
Our media jump on the stories. The ill informed reporters would put
the mikes in the mouth of those who would shout and abuse this fame.
Hence we would see a Togadia opening abusing Muslims or a Sikh fanatic
abusing the Hindus or a Muslim fanatic glorifying the Pan Islamism.
Should the event after our independence be called an aberration? Years
after years, we have witnessed riots, massacres and bloody battles
where the police and those in power play games. In fact, the police
are an instrument to retain us in power, defend them and snatch the
rights of the people and therefore a policeman in India is a law unto
himself. He damn care for law books as whatever he says is a law. We
have seen the gory events of Gurgaon in Haryana, as how the police
mercilessly beat the workers of a factory who were demanding fair
wages. So in every riots and massacre, the police are a party.
Satwant Singh was hanged to death on charges of assassination of
Indira Gandhi. Interpol has arrest warrant against Dawood Ibrahim for
his alleged involvement in Bombay blasts in January 1993. Rajiv's
assassins are also given death sentence but never in the history of
India has any politician been charged and send to gallows for
butchering innocent people or inciting hatred. We cannot think of
Mumbai Badshah behind the bar for spreading hatred and speaking
whatever he wishes. We cannot think of the chums of Dilli Darbar in
the jail for their involvement in the numerous riots they have
participated. It is beyond our belief that those who were involved in
the heinous crime of demolishing a place of worship in Ayodhya would
be taken to task. We cannot imagine that Narendra Modi would face
trial, even our prime minister regretted US decision of not permitting
him visit there. I fear none of them will ever be booked for their
criminal work of inciting hatred. By the time some body comes to the
conclusion, the politicians are on their way. Nobody can now hang
Narsimha Rao for his monumental blunder of keeping conspicuous silence
for three days when Sikhs were maimed and killed in the streets of
Delhi and they had nowhere to go and ask for help. Kalyan Singh became
hero as the court gave him one day imprisonment despite the fact that
he has been seeing he does not believe in this court but court of 'Ram
lala". In fact, the reactionary events become more important for us.
Hence the blast issue became more important then the rehabilitation of
the riots victim in Mumbai. In Delhi it became more important for the
government of India to punish those killed Indira Gandhi but it never
bothered to take care or even check as what happened to those families
who lost their family members. Nobody went to wipe the tears of those
who have victims of our tainted nationalism.
Minorities are simply becoming fodder to majority nationalism in
India. It may be BJP one day or Congress other day but the victim are
the hapless minorities. If they assert, it is easier to level them
anti national. If they form their own party, they are communal. If
something is done for them then it is their appeasements. If they go
to the court, the process is tardy. Who can forget that when CBI went
to arrest one of the great leaders allegedly involved in the anti Sikh
violence, there was violence against the CBI. It could not arrest him.
Of course, we should not forget that the leaders of the community
betrayed the cause. Today, Akali Dal is raising the issue of violence
against Sikhs because it gets strength. It fails to condemn the
terrorist violence. We all keep silence when the issue involves our
own community and cry our best when we are the victims. The minority
commission in India became a joke for all those who know what happened
in Gujarat. The Commission's chairman, a Sikh, was interested in a
dialogue between different religious groups and RSS. It refused to say
a single word against the notorious Gujarat government but now the
same Commission is crying that nothing is done to calm the Sikhs. In
fact, the Sikhs are saying that the prime minister should be keener on
helping them. It is tragic that in democracy how we use our identity
to get justice. Prime Minister belongs to us all. He is an Indian
first, a prime minister and a Sikh the last but the religious gangs
would always like to make us believe that he is first a religious man
and then other. This exhibition of religious symbols to get justice
need to be stopped because we are ultimately going to be a victim of
religious fanaticism and hatred. It is therefore not strange that the
Akali Dal are condemning every kind of terrorism including what
happened in Kashmir but keep quiet on the Sikh terrorism. They were
partner to a government in Delhi whose subordinate had a field day in
Gujarat. The minorities became whims and fancy for them and gangs of
the Hindutva. Today the powerful make a mockery of judiciary. The
witness come to the court, say one thing today and take a u-turn the
next day and cannot blame any one. Same happened in Gujarat.
The BJP, the Congress and others would blame each other. The fact is
that India's upper caste leadership is conspirator against minorities.
It used their religious leaders for its own different purposes and
ignored the common man of the street. It needs to learn a few lesson
of civilization before it is too late. You cannot push them to walls
by harping on their weakness and without protecting them. You cannot
bring minorities to mainstream without giving them due protection. And
this protection is not possible with out participation. If our police
force has remained brutal towards the minorities and the marginalized,
it is because there is very less representation from these community.
The cruel fact is that after the operation blue star, the Sikhs were
carefully sidelined in every sector and hence when Indira Gandhi was
assassinated eyewitnesses said there were just three Sikhs during her
cremation. The same thing is there in Provincial Arms Constabulary in
UP and others in Gujarat and other state. You may not find even 1%
Muslim representation in our Para military and police forces. Above
all, the religiosity in our forces is tremendous hence any religious
conflict become emotional for them. Muslims and other minorities
become 'they' and Hindus ' we'. The Indian state has done very little
to secularize our police and Para military forces and the victim are
the innocent.
We need to fix responsibility on the political leadership against this
kind of carnage. The highest leaders must assume more responsibility
and face impartial probe. There is a need for law against genocide and
its implementation. And the responsibility should be at the highest
level. Let us ensure participation of minorities in our nation
building. You cannot build an India on hatred and retaliation. You
cannot blame the entire Sikh community for killing Indira Gandhi. You
cannot blame the entire Muslims for Godhara carnage and Bombay blasts.
It is as clear that nobody ever said that all the Brahmins were
responsible for killing of Gandhiji simply because Nathu Ram Godse
happened to be a Brahmin and impressed with brahmanical values. We
should show sign of a mature democracy and give chance to every one to
flourish. Politics of religious appeasement will ultimately destroy
India's fabric. We need to be stern on politics of religion and
religious gangs taking public space. It is time to call them bluff and
civilise our police force and make them professional by make them more
pluralistic and representative of the values of diversity in India.
India will only shine when every body here live with dignity, with out
fear and participate in our national life.
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