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News : Archive (August 1-31, 2002)
- How long will Modi hog the headlines?
By G S Bhargava, Deccan Herald , August 31, 2002
The main reason for the lapse is the newspapers’ obsession with Narendra Modi, the demon-incarnate. Mind you, Gujarat is on the front pages of most, if not all, English dailies published from Delhi every day of the week for the last four months. The invariable topic is Modi, his flair to put his foot in the mouth, wallowing in his perceived role of promoter and abettor of Gujarat killings. Nothing else matters, although the Gujarati dailies reported, some with pictures also, the release of Narmada waters into the State at Hansol.
- After PM rap, Modi skips riots, courts rival at Narmada meet
Express News Service, The Indian Express, August 29, 2002
Narendra Modi Ahmedabad, August 29: It was an unusual speech from caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi. For, he didn’t mention either riots or elections — the two things that are usually uppermost in his mind — and stuck to the N-word (Narmada) at the function to mark the release of Narmada water into the Sabarmati.
- BJP losing grip over Gujarat, says study
Pradeep Kaushal, The Indian Express, August 28, 2002
New Delhi, August 28: A recent survey, commissioned by the BJP leadership, predicts only a simple majority for the party if immediate Assembly polls were held in Gujarat. The survey gives the party 96 out of 182 seats — a majority of only five — and cautions it against an erosion in its support base hereafter.
- Stakes run high as Gujarat celebrates Janmashtami
Times News Network, August 30, 2002
AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: The card-room at a club on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway has never looked so packed. Despite the crowd, all one can hear is the sound of shuffling cards and the clicking at the counters in the plush air-conditioned environs. Businessmen, industrialists, government officials, stock brokers, doctors and lawyers - you can find them all, pouring over their cards and trying to read the other's mind.
- Hindus, Muslims get together for Ganesh festivities
Jahnavi Contractor, Times News Network, August 30, 2002
VADODARA: A few months ago, Mangal Bazaar and Babri Chowk saw only mayhem and bloodshed. The only sounds that reverberated in these areas were those of gunshots across the quiet of curfew.
- Naroda: Govt’s slip adds 29 more to toll, it is now 112
Stavan Desai, Ahmedabad, August 30, 2002
Just how many people were killed at Naroda-Patiya on February 28? Official figures say 83. So does the chargesheet filed in court on June 4 but documents attached with it suggest the figure is 112.
According to the chargesheet, a mob of about 15,000 to 17,000, armed with iron pipes, swords and other sharp-edged weapons, attacked the minority-dominated locality, leading to the death of 83 persons.
- Aftermath of riots just as deadly
Sourav Mukherjee, Times News Network, August 30, 2002
AHMEDABAD: They wish they could share Gujarat's 'gaurav'. But not-so-old memories keep rushing back to haunt them. The riots spared them but the aftermath didn't.
- Prohibitory orders in several towns of Kheda district in Gujarat
Press Trust of India, Ahmedabad, August 30, 2002
AHMEDABAD: They wish they could share Gujarat's 'gaurav'. But not-so-old memories keep rushing back to haunt them. The riots spared them but the aftermath didn't.
- SC refuses to set time-table for Gujarat poll hearing
New Delhi, The Hindustan Times, August 30, 2002
Kheda district administration on Friday clamped prohibitory orders in Thasra, Balasinor, Kathlal, Kapadvanj talukas and Phagvel village as both BJP and Congress appeared adamant on holding their respective functions in the village on September 3.
- BJP's poll banner features Godhra carnage
Times News Network, August 29, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Banner showing images of a burning Sabarmati Express at Godhra appeared in the city overnight on Thursday, giving a clear impression that the ruling BJP was out to keep the riots in Gujarat on top of the mind of the voters in the build-up to the Assembly elections.
- Social gulf widening post-Godhra
Times News Network, August 29, 2002
SURAT: Marked religious assertions and social divisions on communal lines are being observed post-Godhra and the riots in its aftermath in several parts of the state, said sociologist Vidyut Joshi while speaking at a seminar on 'The Status of Civil Society in Present Context of Gujarat' here on Thursday.
- Supreme Court to hear Presidential reference on Monday
By J. Venkatesan, New Delhi Aug. 29, 2002
Even as the Supreme Court observed today that the three-point Presidential reference on the standoff between the BJP and the Election Commission on the Gujarat elections be heard as expeditiously as possible, it adjourned the hearing to Monday, September 2, as many of the States have not received the notices issued by the court on August 26.
- Gujarat riot-hit Muslims see little hope of justice
By Thomas Kutty Abraham, August 28, 2002
KHEDIAD, India (Reuters) - Arjuben Ayub Sindhi lay among a pile of hacked bodies, feigning death for nearly an hour before a police patrol team rescued her from a group of armed slogan-shouting Hindu zealots.
- Modi magic begins to fray
By Radhika Ramaseshan, August 28, 2002
New Delhi, Aug. 27: A couple of days after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ticked off Narendra Modi, doubts are being raised on whether he will be projected as the BJP's candidate for Gujarat chief minister.
- Rajnath to flag off Modi's Gaurav Yatra
Times News Network, August 28, 2002
NEW DELHI: All is not well with the Gujarat unit of the BJP, with campaign committee chairman Keshubhai Patel deciding to fly off to Antwerp to attend a wedding ceremony rather than flag off the all-important Gaurav Yatra of chief minister Narendra Modi.
Now BJP general secretary Rajnath Singh will perform the task on September 3 when the first of the yatras will be launched.
- Gujarat EC launches electoral revision of rolls
PTI, Vadodara, Aug 28, 2002
Even as the Supreme Court, hearing the Presidential reference on the controversial order of the Election Commission (EC) on Gujarat assembly poll, issued notices to EC and all state governments, the Gujarat EC today launched a special drive to revise the electoral rolls.
- Modi determined to take out 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra'
Press Trust of India, August 27, 2002
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated his determination to take out the "Gujarat Gaurav Yatra" on September 3 to tell the world the "gaurav gatha" of five crore people of the state.
- BJP versus Institutions How many more sins, in the name of Gujarat?
Kuldip Nayar, The Indian Express, August 27, 2002
Coming to Gujarat, I do not know how many more sins the party is going to commit in the name of that state. It was an example of open partisanship when the BJP-led government in New Delhi did not impose Central rule after the breakdown of the law and order machinery in the state.
- Dreadful diatribe
Editorial, The Hindu, August 27, 2002
REFERRING TO THE abhorrent personal attack he launched on the Chief Election Commissioner, the unrepentant and unashamed Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, now quips that "the controversy is over".
- PM’s reprimand of Modi upsets Advani supporters
Shekhar Iyer, The Hindustan Times, August 27, 2002
Prime Minister AB Vajpayee's disapproval of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his utterances against Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh has upset some BJP leaders, who are unhappy that Modi was pulled up publicly.
- Interview: 'Revenge Or Retaliation Is No Answer..'
Yoginder Sikand, Outlookindia.com, Aug 26, 2002
...but, warns the Jesuit Priest Director of "Prashant", who has been closely involved in efforts to promote communal harmony in Gujarat, that "only the very naive say that it will not take place"..
- Prejudice, not pride
Editorial, The Economic Times, August 26, 2002
Where ordinary folk find fear, loathing and carnage, Narendra Modi beholds 'gaurav' or pride. The chief minister of Gujarat wants to take out a procession, ostensibly to highlight Gujarat’s ‘historic achievements’.
- Gujarat Bachao Yatra to hit road
PTI, Ahmedabad, August 26, 2002
Gujarat is all set to witness a 'rath race' in September, with the Bharat Bachao Morcha also readying to take out a rath yatra throughout the state beginning next month.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi would on September three lead BJP's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra from Phagvel in Kheda district.
Bharat Bachao Morcha, an organisation floated by SC/ST Government Employees Federation chairman Udit Raj, is launching its "Gujarat Bachao Yatra" on September 1 from Ahmedabad, its convenor Bhante Sanghpriya told in Ahmedabad on Monday.
- Supreme Court issues notices to EC, state govts
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 26, 2002
Hearing the presidential reference on the controversial order of the Election Commmission on Gujarat Assembly polls, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Commission, all the state governments and the six recognised political parties.
- Riots: VHP men represent govt
Express News Service, Ahmedabad, August 25, 2002
When the Gujarat government appointed district public prosecutors (PP) three months ago, it chose VHP secretary general Dilip Trivedi for the Mehsana district court. Trivedi, also the parishad spokesman, will now present riot cases on behalf of the state government and police, both of which came under a cloud during the post-Godhra violence.
- Jain muni directs Modi to halt yatra
Express News Service, Gandhinagar, August 25, 2002
The 83-year-old Acharya Mahapragya, head of the Terapanthi sect of Jains whom Sonia Gandhi came calling on today, had a word of advice for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi recently.
- Forgive and forget, Mahesh Bhatt tells Gujarati Muslims
By Hasan Suroor, The Hindu, August 26, 2002
LONDON AUG. 25. The film director, Mahesh Bhatt, who is planning to make a feature film based on the recent events in Gujarat, has urged Britain's Gujarati Muslims to set aside their bitterness and seek "reconciliation'' now that the Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, has apologised for the "shameful'' incidents.
- Advani's apology wins over UK NRIs
Rashmee Z Ahmed, Times News Network, August 25, 2002
LONDON: United India PLC has almost become the NRI theme song of Britain’s ongoing bank holiday weekend, just days after L K Advani said "sorry" in London for the Gujarat violence. In the age of apology, say behaviouralists, never before may so much been achieved by so few words and in so short a response time.
- Riots: VHP men represent govt
Express News Service, The Indian Express, August 25, 2002
Ahmedabad, August 25: When the Gujarat government appointed district public prosecutors (PP) three months ago, it chose VHP secretary general Dilip Trivedi for the Mehsana district court. Trivedi, also the parishad spokesman, will now present riot cases on behalf of the state government and police, both of which came under a cloud during the post-Godhra violence.
- More sound, fury at first ever meet of RSS scholars
Vivek Deshpande, The Indian Express, August 25, 2002
Nagpur, August 25: The RSS leadership today kicked off the party’s so-called ‘‘intellectual’’ phase at the first ever convention of the Forum for Hindutva in the Academic Scenario in Bharat, a newly-created outfit of RSS scholars, here.
Dubbing the post-Babri period as a phase of ‘‘Hindu awakening’’, RSS chief K. Sudershan blew the conch for the ‘‘new Kurukshetra’’.
- Modi ‘gaurav’ headache for a village
Janyala Sreenivas, The Indian Express, August 26, 2002
Phagvel (kheda), August 25 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s Gaurav Yatra has left this village of over 15,000 cold. This is where on September 3, Modi will launch the Yatra from the temple of Bhatiji Maharaj, a legendary kind who died fighting to protect cows. At best there is indifference, at worst — for the BJP — resentment that the party has no qualms about endangering the fragile peace.
- Riot victims reject Advani apology in London
Times News Network, August 24, 2002
AHMEDABAD: He is a hawk at home and dove abroad. This is the general feeling among the riot victims who took Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's apology in London, for the riots in Gujarat, with a pinch of salt.
- Silent at the top Why is the BJP’s top leadership indulging Modi?
Editorial, The Indian Express, August 24, 2002
It isn’t just that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi unleashed what can be mildly decribed as a particularly tasteless personal diatribe against Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh. It is also, and more, that the BJP’s leading lights at the Centre have remained silent so far on the chief minister’s public display of disrespect for a constitutional authority.
- Chargesheets filed in Naroda Patia, Naroda Gam cases
PTI, August 24, 2002
AHMEDABAD: City crime branch has filed chargesheets in Naroda Patia and Naroda Gam cases wherein around 86 persons and eight persons were killed respectively in the violence following the Godhra carnage on February 27.
- PM disapproves Modi's attack on CEC
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 24, 2002
In a virtual disapproval of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's attack on Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday said no one should use "improper language or make indecorous insinuations" in expressing views on the EC's decision on Gujarat.
- Gujarat incidents indefensible: Advani
By Hasan Suroor, The Hindu, August 24, 2002
LONDON AUG. 23. The Deputy Prime Minister, Lal Kishen Advani, has apologised for the Gujarat incidents, calling them a "blot'' on the Bharatiya Janata Party Government, "outrageous'' and "indefensible.'' And he was "sorry that this happened.''
- I care two hoots for Modi: Lyngdoh
Times News Network, August 24, 2002
NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyndgoh on Friday termed as “despicable” the personal attack mounted upon him by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, even as the latter appeared unrepentant and continued to question the EC's use of different yardsticks for J&K and Gujarat.
- EC shapes Gujarat plea amid Lyngdoh-Modi duel
Times News Network, August 24, 2002
It has decided to highlight before the Supreme Court graphic details of the human misery in Gujarat, and also point out the "unconstitutional postponement of municipal elections in the state from June to October".
- Lyngdoh fodder in BJP Gujarat campaign
Pradeep Kaushal, The Indian Express, New Delhi, August 22, 2002
What began as a whisper campaign by the Sangh Parivar against Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh, soon after he denied the BJP the chance to exploit the situation in Gujarat for electoral gains, has been taken one step further by Narendra Modi.
- The Supreme Court reference
By Rajeev Dhavan, The Hindu August 23, 2002
The Supreme Court should not feel pressured by the BJP's urgency. Having undermined democracy, the BJP should not be allowed to undermine the patient wisdom of the rule of law.
- Modi launches tirade against CEC
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu August 23, 2002
AHMEDABAD AUG. 22. Even as the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has launched a scathing attack against the Chief Election Commissioner, J. M. Lyngdoh, for refusing to comply with his demand for early elections to the State Assembly, the recovery of two skeletons from an underground gutter in Ahmedabad has raised fresh questions about the communal riots.
- Now, NGOs plan their own yatra
Himanshu Kaushik, Indian Express, Ahmedabad, August 21, 2002
TO counter BJP’s Gujarat Gaurav Yatra which would begin from September 3, about 200 NGOs in the State have joined hands to bring out a similar yatra, only, they are calling it the Sadhbhavana Yatra.
The Sadhbhavana Yatra is aimed at highlighting the BJP Government’s failure besides featuring other burning issues like rehabilitation of both earthquake as well as riot-affected victims.
- VHP lawyers to fight for riot-hit victims
Amit Mukherjee, Times News Network, August 23, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Dilipbhai Trivedi, state general-secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, is also a public prosecutor in Mehsana, pleading in courts on behalf of Muslim riot victims.
- NHRC can't stay Gaurav yatra: Fernandes
PTI, August 21, 2002
MANGALORE: Defence Minister George Fernandes on Wednesday asserted the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has "no right" to stay the controversial Gaurav rath yatra planned to be taken out by the Gujarat BJP unit.
- BJP picks riot-hit Kheda to launch Modi pride parade
Ens & Agencies, The Indian Express, Ahmedabad/ New Delhi, August 20, 2002
The Gujarat BJP today revived the gaurav yatra, announcing its launch from Kheda, one of the districts worst-hit by the riots, on Sept. 3.
Addressing a press conference here, state unit president Rajendrasinh Rana said he and Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be leading the show and there would be no cancellation or postponement this time.
- 6 months on, hope of relief in Gujarat
Stavan Desai, The Indian Express, Ahmedabad, August 20, 2002
Six months after the post-Godhra violence in the city, the process of identification of missing persons is making some headway.
A meeting of the the district-level committee entrusted with the task has identified 43 such cases and recommended that their relatives be given compensation.
- Furnish surety bonds, Vadodara victims told
Express News Service, Vadodara, August 20, 2002
After many months of trying to locate their family members who went missing post-riots and then being forced to give them up for dead, riot-hit have another trial in store for them.
Relief workers say the Kalol district administration has asked kin of missing persons to furnish sureties and solvency certificates to obtain the compensation declared by the government. It gets worse: the surety amount runs into lakhs.
- Modi revives 'Rath Yatra'
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, AHMEDABAD AUG. 20, 2002
The Gujarat BJP unit has decided to revive the controversial ``Gaurav rath yatra'' of the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, from September 3. Announcing the programme to `kick off' the party's Assembly election campaign, the State party president, Rajendrasinh Rana, said the revised programme had been approved by the high command and there was no question of its being cancelled again.
- RSS conducts Gujarat-type survey of Hindus in Jaipur
The Hindustan Times, August 20, 2002
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has launched a campaign to draw the city’s Hindu youth into its fold. The “Hindutva consciousness” drive includes a comprehensive survey of the city’s population, at the end of which the RSS hopes to have a database of every Hindu boy and young man in Jaipur.
- BJP to launch Gaurav Yatra in Gujarat
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 20, 2002
The BJP central leadership firmly backed the Gaurav Yatra to be taken out in Gujarat by the party's state unit and sought to dispel apprehensions that it would affect the communal situation in the state.
- SC receives Gujarat poll reference
Rakesh Bhatnagar, Times News Network, August 20, 2002
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday received from President Kalam a three-point reference seeking its opinion on the legality of the Election Commission’s controversial observation that President’s rule might have to be imposed in Gujarat because assembly polls cannot be held within the stipulated time-frame.
- Govt versus EC: high on rhetoric and low on fact
ART 356: President’s Rule was imposed in Bihar, Tripura after polls were postponed
Manoj Mitta, The Indian Express, New Delhi, August 19, 2002
The Government claims that it’s not contesting the Election Commission’s authority to delay polls in Gujarat. And that it’s the EC’s suggestion of President’s Rule in the state after October 6 which has prompted it to approach the Supreme Court. The Government’s objection—reiterated by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today—flies in the face of at least two precedents in the last decade.
- Government to take Gujarat poll order to Supreme Court
By Indo-Asian News Service, August 20, 2002
New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has permitted the government to refer to the Supreme Court the Election Commission's order rejecting early polls and recommending President's rule in Gujarat.
- Most S-6 reserved passengers survived Godhra
Rajesh Ramachandran, Times News Network, August 19, 2002
NEW DELHI: The list and analysis of the reserved passengers of the burnt S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express released by the Railways on Saturday almost six months after the Godhra tragedy of February 27, raises more questions than it answers. The list shows that 80 per cent of the reserved passengers of S-6 survived.
- Hindutva and caste
By Kancha Ilaiah, The Hindu, August 20, 2002
The BJP is making a show of empowering the Sudra/OBC forces within... But how will the Sangh Parivar resolve the caste contradictions within Hindu religion?
- Ads in Gujarati press now target EC, NHRC
Times News Network, August 19, 2002
AHMEDABAD: A subtle advertisement campaign unleashed in the local press with the purpose of consolidating the Hindu votes, has picked new targets: the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Election Commission (EC).
- A dangerous sulk
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, August 19
Even after the stinging rebuff from the Election Commission on the Gujarat elections, the BJP doesn’t seem to have learnt any lessons. Intent on further muddying the waters, it is now trying to involve the president in the dispute.
- Respite for Gujarat
Editorial, The Times of India, August 19, 2002
Wounded Gujarat has been spared the trauma of facing an election that was sought to be imposed on it by a government looking to harvest the state’s misfortunes for its own gains.
- Centre to refer EC decision on Gujarat polls to President
By Vinay Kumar, The Hindu, NEW DELHI AUG. 18, 2002
Responding to the Election Commission's firm no to early Assembly polls in Gujarat, the Union Cabinet today decided to make a Presidential reference to seek the Supreme Court's opinion on the EC's interpretation of Article 174 of the Constitution under which there should not be a gap of more than six months between two Assembly sessions.
- Better later than sooner
Editorial, The Hindu, August 19, 2002
AS ANYONE WHO goes through the detailed 40-page note issued by the Election Commission will realise, its decision to rule out an early poll in Gujarat could not have been easy to arrive at. But, viewed in terms of the larger issues involved and considering the entirety of the circumstances in that troubled State, the decision was essentially the correct one to make.
- Riot victims welcome EC's poll order
Times News Network, August 18, 2002
AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: Riot victims across Gujarat are pleased with the postponement of elections in the state. But, it seems they are more concerned with the issue of rehabilitation, or rather, the lack of it.
- Indian Starts a Campaign Against Cash for Militants
By Barbara Crossette, The New York Times, August 18, 2002 (Requires free registration to read this article online)
Shabnam Hashmi never imagined herself leading an international campaign until she came from New Delhi to New York in July to implore Indian-Americans not to send money to militant Hindu organizations in India that she says are leading the country away from secularism into Hindu nationalism and religious violence.
- Election Commission order unconstitutional: BJP
By J. Venkatesan, The Hindu, NEW DELHI Aug. 17, 2002
The BJP today reacted strongly to the Election Commission's order to defer the Gujarat Assembly polls, saying that it was contrary to the constitutional provisions and that the party ``is not convinced with the substance of the reasoning given by the Commission''.
- Curfew in Gujarat town
By By Our Special Correspondent, The Hindu, AHMEDABAD AUG.17, 2002
An indefinite curfew was clamped on Dhoraji town in Rajkot district this afternoon following communal clashes in which at least 10 persons sustained injuries.
- UK group probes Hindu groups' terror links
PTI, August 17, 2002
LONDON: Britain's Charity Commission has launched a preliminary investigation into allegations that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, UK and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) here are linked to terrorist activities.
- EC rules out early polls in Gujarat
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 16, 2002
Pouring cold water on ruling BJP's demand for early Assembly polls in Gujarat, the three-member Election Commission on Friday unanimously decided to consider holding elections only in November-December as the law and order situation in the riot-hit state "is still far from normal".
- U.K.'s Sangh Parivar swears by Godse
By Hasan Suroor, The Hindu, August 16, 2002
LONDON AUG.15 . Britain's Sangh Parivar celebrated India's Independence Day today by resolving to ``advocate Godse's outlook and action'' and challenge ``every anti-national Mulla-Commie'', a shorthand for Muslims and communists.
- The people can provide the answers
By Surendra Mohan, The Hindu, August 16, 2002
Gujarat cannot but see through Narendra Modi's manufactured mischief, tragic as it was.
- Surviving on the Edge in Gujarat
By Malini Ghose, The Times of India, August 15, 2002
Four months ago, as a member of a women’s fact-finding team, I visited several camps in rural and urban Gujarat. I spoke to scores of women survivors and recorded their testimonies. The violence, the destruction, the despair, the horror slapped you in the face. You could not escape it.
- Election Commission decision on Gujarat by Saturday
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 15, 2002
Ending days of suspense, the Election Commission is likely to announce its decision on holding the Gujarat Assembly elections by Saturday, sources in the Commission said on Thursday.
- Modi demands early polls
Times News Network, August 14, 2002
AHMEDABAD: In a message delivered on the eve of the 56th Independence Day, Chief Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his demand for early Assembly elections in the state.
- Whitewash over, it’s dark days ahead
Express News Service, Ahmedabad, August 13, 2002
HE came, he saw and he left. That’s the feeling everyone shares at Naroda-Patiya. A day after President A P J Abdul Kalam came calling, Operation Whitewash abruptly came to an end. And surprisingly, no one’s suprised!
- Modi govt may move court for early poll
Times News Network, August 13, 2002
GANDHINAGAR: The ruling BJP is reportedly preparing for a legal battle if the Election Commission does not grant its request for early elections in October.
- Narayanan says he felt helpless during Gujarat riots
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 13, 2002
In his first public comment on the Gujarat riots after demitting office, former President KR Narayanan today said he had often felt "helpless" when he was unable to do anything in the aftermath of communal violence in the state.
- Quiet. Leave the EC alone
Will the BJP’s megaphones switch themselves off a minute?
Editorial, The Indian Express, August 13, 2002
Will the BJP’s megaphones switch themselves off a minute and listen to L.K. Advani? On Sunday, the deputy prime minister had clarified that the holding of elections and the finalising of poll dates came under the constitutional ambit of the Election Commission (EC). But even a day after this much needed corrective, there was BJP spokesman V.K. Malhotra stating that the responsibility of assessing whether the situation in the state was ripe for holding elections was that of the home ministry and not the EC. It is contradictory stances of this kind that have undermined the BJP’s credibility.
- Kalam visits Gujarat relief camp, asks Govt to expedite relief
Narendra Dev (Press Trust of India), Ahmedabad, August 12, 2002
Seeking to give a healing touch, President APJ Abdul Kalam on Monday made his much-talked-about first official visit outside Delhi to a camp of victims of communal riots that was devoid of any controversy and asked the administration to expedite relief and rehabilitation measures.
- Coercive tactics
Editorial, The Hindu, August 13, 2002
EVEN AS THE Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, and his two colleagues are engaged in a reality check of the ground situation in Gujarat to convince themselves whether conditions truly exist for the holding of a free and fair poll, the ruling BJP is trying rather desperately all kinds of pressure tactics to make the panel settle for an early election, scheduling it sometime in September/October.
- We have no good words for Modi, victims tell Kalam
By Manas Dasgupta, AHMEDABAD, The Hindu, Aug.12, 2002
The victims of the Gujarat communal riots poured their hearts out before the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who arrived here today on a two-day visit.
``It is the first time someone heard us so patiently,'' said 18-year-old Shahzahan Banu, who had been running from pillar to post to seek medical assistance for severe burn marks on her face she got during the riots.
- Another day, another VIP, for riot-hit it’s all the same
Palak Nandi, The Indian Express, Ahmedabad, August 12, 2002
Since Monday, Gujarat Haj House relief camp has been a hub of activity. Security has been beefed up and authorities had put up shamianas and chairs to seat VIPs. Identity cards had been handed over to riot victims housed at the camp. The reason: A visit from the newly-appointed First Citizen of India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
- An uneasy EC
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, August 12, 2002
The Election Commission has probably never been under so much pressure. While the BJP is in favour of early elections, other parties are advising delay.
- Election Commission decision on Gujarat in `a few days'
By Neena Vyas NEW DELHI AUG. 11, 2002
The three-member Election Commission, back here after a tour of Gujarat, has indicated that it will reveal its mind in "a few days" — on whether the situation is conducive to holding Assembly polls in the State or not.
- Major relief camps not in Kalam's itinerary
Times News Network, August 11, 2002
AHMEDABAD: It will not be the much-heardabout Shah-e-Alam relief camp or the camp at Sankalitnagar, Juhapura, that will figure in President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s itinerary when he visits Ahmedabad on Monday.
- 'Give us a roof, then we will think of votes'
By Manas Dasgupta, Ahmedabad, August 10, 2002
The Chief Election Commissioner, J. M. Lyngdoh, and his two Commissioners, T. S. Krishnamurthy and B. B. Tandon, on a visit to Gujarat to decide on early Assembly elections, today heard in Vadodara the same appeals they heard in Ahmedabad yesterday from the riot-hit people: "First give us roofs, then we will think of votes.''
- Stripped by Lyngdoh, dressed for Kalam
Modi says he invited Kalam but panic is clear: first time since riots, sweepers are sent to Naroda Patiya
Palak Nandi & Pradeep Kaushal, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, August 10, 2002
Call it the Kalam effect. Sent into deep panic after the President announced his visit to Gujarat beginning Monday, the state BJP government seems to have suddenly discovered a neighbourhood called Naroda Patiya where at least 90 were killed in the riots and thousands displaced.
- Lyngdoh lashes out as officers ‘fudge’ facts
Syed Khalique Ahmed, August 11, 2002
Vadodara, August 10: Are you a joker? You say only sporadic incidents took place here when 185 houses were burnt in a single locality (Noor Complex in Tarsali),’’ Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh inquired of District Collector Bhagyesh Jha. The latter had no answer.
- EC sees empty houses in Gulbarg, frightened riot victims in Naroda
CEC Lyngdoh reserves comment
Express News Service, Ahmedabad, August 9, 2002
Refusing guides from the local administration, Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh and Election Commissioners T S Krishnamurthy and B B Tandon trudged through the riot-affected areas in Ahmedabad today asking questions and listening to what the victims had to say on holding polls in the state.
- Minority institutions and the state
By Pratap Bhanu Mehta, The Hindu, August 10, 2002
Only adherence to clear and consistent principles can prevent a debilitating politicisation of secularism and protect the rights of minorities.
- Missile Man: Unguided to Gujarat
BJP gets rattled as Kalam puts refugee camp in schedule
By Arati R. Jerath, The Indian Express, August 10, 2002
President A P J Abdul Kalam New Delhi, August 9: After the Election Commission’s microscope, the Modi Government will now come under scrutiny from the President of India.
- Court lets go 72 accused in Godhra riots
Express News Service, Vadodara, August 9, 2002
As many as 72 persons, accused of indulging in large-scale rioting in the aftermath of the attack on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, were acquitted by the Godhra additional sessions court for want of evidence and independent witnesses today.
- Riot victims, NGOs not for early polls in Gujarat
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, AHMEDABAD Aug. 9. 2002
Barring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, almost all the political parties, non-government organisations, prominent citizens and riot victims whom the Chief Election Commissioner, J. M. Lyngdoh, and the two Election Commissioners, T. S. Krishnamurthy and B. B. Tandon, met here today opposed early elections to the Gujarat Assembly.
- ‘Implement NHRC recommendations’
Express News Service, Ahmedabad, August 9, 2002
MOVEMENT for Secular Democracy organised a dharna against State Government for not implementating the recommendations put forward by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Friday. The dharna was organised near Veer Kinariwala’s statue outside Gujarat College Compound.
- Gujarat yatra plan revived under EC nose
Rathin Das and Hemendra Singh Bartwal, Ahmedabad/New Delhi, The Hindustan Times, August 08, 2002
Hours before the full Election Commission (EC) arrived in Gujarat on a rare situation appraisal mission, the BJP announced a revival of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's controversial rath yatra plan.
- `Gujarat minorities may not be able to vote'
NEW Delhi, The Hindu, Aug 8, 2002
The situation in Gujarat is not conducive for members of the minority community to vote fearlessly, the high-level Election Commission team, which toured Gujarat last week, is understood to have told the commission.
- The Gujarat elections
By Rajeev Dhavan, The Hindu, August 9, 2002
The six months rule was intended to apply to a `live' legislature so that a party in power ensured that the House met at least twice a year. It was not intended to apply to a `dead' or dissolved House.
- There will be no homecoming till they cross this hurdle
Stavan Desai, The Indian Express, August 8, 2002
Ahmedabad, August 7: SHUNTED out of their homes by angry neighbours, these Muslims returned home only to find that they couldn’t get there. For at the entrance to the Ghyasiram ni Chali in Behrampura area stands a small pan shop — the Ram Pan House — which effectively obstructs entry to the chali.
- NRIs to discuss human rights abuses in Gujarat
Press Trust of India, London, August 07, 2002
As Gujarat gears up for assembly elections, leading members of Britain's Non-Resident Indian community are preparing to meet here on August 15 to highlight issues of human rights abuse in the state and recommend measures to bring reconciliation between communities.
'Indian Independence: Healing the Wounds' will be the subject of the day-long conference on human rights and minorities in India. It has been organised by a group of British Asian business and charity leaders.
- Full Election Commission to visit Gujarat
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, The Hindustan Times, August 07, 2002
In a significant decision, the three-member Election Commission headed by CEC JM Lyngdoh will make a three-day visit to Gujarat starting on Thursday for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation to decide whether to hold early Assembly elections there or not.
- Setalvad, Mander to get Sadbhavana Award
rediff.com, August 7, 2002
Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander have been jointly selected for the 10th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for their outstanding contribution in promoting peace and harmony in the country.
- VHP forms global outfit to promote Hindutva
Press Trust of India, August 6, 2002
New Delhi, August 06 In an ambitious move to spread Hindutva across the globe, the Vishva Hindu Parishad on Tuesday announced the setting up of VHP Overseas (VHPO) headed by leading industrialist B K Modi and headquartered at New York.
- Monitoring investigation in Gujarat
By C.V. Narasimhan, The Hindu, August 7, 2002
The Godhra arson and the ghastly wholesale killings of February 2002, meticulously planned and ruthlessly executed by militant communalists in Gujarat, are still under investigation by the police. The Statewide communal flare-up that persisted for over two months seriously undermined public confidence in the administration, especially in the police whose performance was perceivably partisan. Every disturbance to public order was looked at with communally tinted glasses. An objective and fair assessment of events and a realistic appraisal of possible repercussions became casualties.
- Gujarat revenue minister resigns
Times News Network, August 06, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Revenue Minister Haren Pandya has resigned from the Narendra Modi ministry in Gujarat following a show-cause notice issued to him by the party recently about his alleged deposition before a citizen's tribunal which probed the riots.
- VHP gets into election-mode, to launch massive campaign in Gujarat
Rediff.com, August 05, 2002
The VHP on Monday declared that the coming assembly polls in Gujarat would be a 'vote for Ram bhakts (followers of Ram) and Godhra martyrs' and announced a massive 'religious awareness' campaign to ensure the victory of 'those who respected Hindu sentiments' and expose the others.
- Gujarat game plan
Chief Minister Narendra Modi's strategy of calling for early elections in Gujarat may not pay off in the face of voter anger, an invigorated Congress(I) and his party's poor record in governance.
Dionne Bunsha in Ahmedabad, Frontline, Volume 19 - Issue 16, August 3 - 16, 2002
It was politics that incited a mob to loot and burn her house. Still, politics is the last thing on Asiabibi Sayeed Ansari's mind. Asiabibi, who is at the Bakar Shah Roja relief camp in Ahmedabad, is not even certain where her next meal will come from.
- Handling communal riots
Why the police fail, and what needs to be done to change the situation nationally.
R.K. Raghavan, Frontline, Volume 19 - Issue 16, August 3 - 16, 2002
Police failures to deal effectively with communal tension arise mainly from their own inadequacies and also from unabashed politics at the ward level.
- The Promise Of Probity
Murali Krishnan, Outlookindia.com, August 5, 2002
The Election Commission (EC) doesn't seem to be in a tearing hurry to finalise its response to the Gujarat government's recommendation on state elections by September-end.
An EC source told Outlook that the commission will factor in all aspects of the ground situation and readiness of the election machinery before coming to a decision on when to hold elections. Topmost on the agenda is an independent scrutiny by the commission to see if elections can be held in a "free and fair" climate.
- Godhra victims may not have been kar sevaks
The Times Of India, August 05, 2002
NEW DELHI: All along, the government has been maintaining that most of the 58 persons killed when the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was set ablaze in Godhra were kar sevaks.
But according to highly-placed railway sources, the reservation for the entire coach was from Lucknow and not Faizabad, which is about 120 km before Lucknow. Gujarat and would put all its weight behind Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
- Avoid hasty elections, advise intellectuals
Times News Network, August 04, 2002
AHMEDABAD: A group of prominent individuals from Ahmedabad, including NGOs and human rights activists, met the Election Commission team on Saturday and said Gujarat was not ready for elections.
- BJP unrepentant about Gujarat; Vajpayee keeps a low profile
Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi, Rediff, August 4, 2002
Despite the all-round condemnation, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made it clear that it has no remorse over the events in Gujarat and would put all its weight behind Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
- Communal violence distresses Gulzar
Subhash K Jha, IANS, August 03, 2002
MUMBAI: Communal violence troubles poet-lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar, who depicted the socio-political exploitation of the restless youth in India in his directorial debut Mere Apne 30 years ago.
- Gujarat riot-hit want early aid, not elections
Times of India, August 3, 2002
GODHRA: In pursuit of its objective to assess the situation in Gujarat before holding polls, a three-member team of the Election Commission (EC) on Friday surveyed Godhra, among other riot-hit areas, and the message it received was amply clear: ‘‘Relief first...who cares about polls?’’
- Gujarat poll poses test for Indian leaders
By Edward Luce in New Delhi, Financial Times; Aug 02, 2002
Yet five months after the violence erupted, Mr Modi's political career is back in the ascendant. If all goes to plan, Gujarat 's 30m-strong electorate will go to the polls in October and sweep Mr Modi's Hindu nationalists back into office. What has prompted his rehabilitation?
- Price Paid for a Sponsored Genocide
Economic and social dimensions of anti Muslim violence in Gujarat 2002 - and their implications for Western governments and International Financial organisations
By Dr John Dayal
Paper presented on 18th July 2002 at the Seminar in Washington DC, organised by the Policy Institute For Religion And State, 110 Maryland Ave., NE. Suite 510, Washington, DC 2002
- Justice Shah in Surat
Express News Service, August 3, 2002
Surat, Autust 2: JUSTICE K G Shah, who is a member of the Nanavati Commission that is inquiring into the Godhra carnage and its aftermath, arrived in the city on Friday to collect information on the communal riots that took place in the district between February 28 and March 5.
- When a town in Gujarat refused to burn
The Rediff Special/ Sheela Bhatt, July 31, 2002
Dholka, a medium-sized town located 40 kilometres southwest of Ahmedabad, surprised Gujarat when it refused to become part of the communal conflagration that ripped the state a few months ago.
- Manufacturing consensus
By George Mathew, The Hindu, August 2, 2002
If only democratically-elected local bodies had been in place with powers, personnel and resources, Gujarat would have been spared the genocide.
- EC team goes out of way to see things for self
Express News Service, Vadodara, August 1, 2002
While Gujarat geared up with stage-managed responses at certain places, at the end of the day it was perhaps the three-member Election Commission team’s thorough homework that helped gauge the situation in Vadodara.
More - Archive One (July 15 - July 31, 2002)
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