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News : Archive (October 2002)
- Rage Is The Answer
Mahesh Bhatt, outlookindia.com, October 31, 2002
While the entire nation seemed to be immersed in the Saga of Salman Khan and the fate of his victims, not many seemed to be aware that only a hundred kilometres from our capital, the clock had turned back to the Stone Age.
- Modi plays Sardar, Keshubhai angry Patel
CM equates himself with Iron Man, Keshubhai takes not-so subtle dig
Rohit Bhan & Hiral Dave, October 31, 2002
Narendra Modi Anand, Rajkot, October 31: With huge cutouts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel alongside his own, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the last leg of his gaurav yatra and the first of the BJP’s election campaign from Karamsad near Anand, the birthplace of Sardar Patel today.
- Grateful Modi’s war rolls
Our Correspondent, The Telegraph, October 31, 2002
Karamsad (Gujarat), Oct. 31: Calling upon youths to turn the December 12 Assembly election into a “dharma yudh”, the BJP today launched its poll campaign from Sardar Patel’s birthplace.
- Happy Diwali, have to say it with Modi
Party prints 7 types of Modi cards, makes workers buy
Himanshu Kaushik, The Indian Express, October 31, 2002
Ahmedabad, October 30: Say it with a card, suggested one greeting cards chain, so Narendra Modi is saying it with cards this Diwali—not one or two, but seven of them. After getting students across the state to send him fawning e-mails and releasing a CD praising his government’s achievements, the BJP in Gujarat has issued seven types of Diwali greeting cards with one thing in common: all of them unabashedly plug
Modi.
- Mumbai cracks whip on VHP
Anand Soondas, The Telegraph, October 31, 2002
Mumbai, Oct. 30: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is at the receiving end of a Praveen Togadia- and Jhajjar-induced outrage.
While the Maharashtra government has banned all speeches by the VHP leader in the state, students, women and cultural groups have come together to begin a campaign against the outfit from tomorrow.
- Modi’s Yatra to roll on under new name
Express News Service, October 30, 2002
New Delhi, October 29: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s Gaurav Yatra is not off. It is only getting a new name: Campaign Yatra. BJP
general secretary Arun Jaitley said: ‘‘We will call it Campaign Yatra
now. We see no reason to call it off.’’
- Eighth phase of Gaurav Yatra from tomorrow
PTI, Ahmedabad, Oct 30, 2002
Switching gears into election mode, BJP would mobilise the youth force during the eighth phase of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, beginning from Karamsad in Kheda district in Gujarat tomorrow.
- Reforming Hinduism From Within
Swami Agnivesh, Outlookindia.com, October 30, 2002
It is a great pity that the radical spiritual legacy that Swami Dayanand enunciated as the Arya Samaj movement more than a century ago could not be nurtured into a source of empowerment for the Dalits.
- The Parivar’s hate campaign: politics as abuse
By Praful Bidwai, Daily Times - Pakistan, October 31, 2002
The government must strictly apply hate-speech laws like Section 153(A) of the IPC and the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act to members of the sangh parivar. It must not cave in to Mr Thackeray’s hollow threats to set Mumbai “on fire”...The state must summon the will to book these dangerous fanatics — in the interest of the nation, the Constitution, indeed the Establishment itself. If it fails this test, it will only invite disgrace — from the wider world and its own citizens.
- What's BJP's trump card for Gujarat polls?
Smita Gupta, Times News Network, October 30, 2002
NEW DELHI: For the BJP's central leadership, the critical factor in the coming Assembly elections in Gujarat is whether it will be able to calibrate the communal issue to its advantage.
- Rhetoric and reality
Editorial, The Hindu, Oct 30, 2002
AS AN EXPRESSION of sentiment, what the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, has had to say at the NDA rally last Friday about the communal riots that rocked Gujarat following the Godhra carnage early this year does reflect the sense of anguish shared universally by all those who have even a modicum of respect for basic human values, even if a sense of outrage might not be as discernible in his remarks.
- Can any good come of Hindutva?
Editorial, Times News Network, October 30, 2002
Last month, Francis Fukuyama and Nadav Samin published an article, 'Can Any Good Come of Radical Islam?' (in the Wall Street Journal and Commentary) arguing that the many versions of radical Islamism aren't fundamentalist Islam, but adaptations of early-20th century European ideology: Fascism, Nazism and Bolshevism.
This is an astute observation that has an uncanny fit with Hindutva, propounded by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RSS, founded in 1925 and consolidated through the 1930s, drew inspiration from the German Nazis.
- The Saga of the Holy Cow
Yahoo Group - India Thinks Net, October 28, 2002
The cow has no politics.But there is a class in India which thrive on 'cow politics'. Having no other relevant issue take up,they have picked on the poor old cow which knows nothing of this. For in the name of the cow,5 Dalit boys were lynched to death by the fascist Manuvaadis of Hindutva.The high priest of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad held that the life of the cow was more important than that of the Dalits.The martyrdom of the Dalits at the hands of the 'gau-bhakts' led to the families of the Dalit martyrs and 100 other families to abandon Hinduism and convert to Buddhism.
- Relatives of two Dalit victims say we didn’t convert;Udit Raj says
they’re under pressure
Express News Service, The Indian Express, October 28, 2002
Gurgaon, October 28: A day after ‘‘converting’’ to Buddhism at a public function here, the families of two of the Dalits killed in the Jhajjar lynching said today they weren’t aware that it was a conversion ceremony.
- Indian economy hit by riots: US
msn.co.in, October 29, 2002
New Delhi, (Oct 29): The United States on Tuesday said Indo-Pak tensions, recent communal violence in Gujarat and 'uncertainty' over divestment policies were putting brakes on flow of foreign investments into India.
- BJP to turn Gaurav Yatra into poll juggernaut
PTI, October 29, 2002
NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the "overwhelming response" of the Gaurav Yatra in Gujarat, the BJP has decided to turn the controversial programme into its main campaign vehicle for the coming Assembly elections.
- EC declares poll, caretaker Modi breathes easy
Hiral Dave, The Indian Express, October 28, 2002
Rajkot, October 28: GUJARAT Chief Minister Narendra Modi was grinning from ear to ear by today afternoon. The tired look on his face in Morbi, from where he began the third day of the 7th phase of his Gaurav Yatra, had disappeared by the time he reached Dhrol. The news that polls had
been announced in the state seemed to have infused new life into him.
- BJP, Cong woo Gujarat voters with communal posters
Mohua Chatterjee, Times News Network, October 27, 2002
NEW DELHI: Even before poll dates for Gujarat are finalised, the Congress and the BJP are wooing voters with communal posters.
- SC upholds EC right on Gujarat elections
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, October 28, 2002
Answering the Presidential reference on the Election Commission's controversial order on Gujarat, the Supreme Court on Monday said the election to a prematurely dissolved State Assembly can be held six months after the last sitting of the House.
- NHRC seeks explanation for custodial death in Gujarat
By Our Special Correspondent, The Hindu, October 29, 2002
NEW DELHI OCT. 28. The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Chief Secretary of Gujarat and Ahmedabad's Commissioner of Police to explain within two weeks the circumstances leading to the death in police custody of Samirkhan Sarfrazkhan Pathan, who is alleged to have been part of a conspiracy to kill the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi.
- 2.24 lakh Gujarat voters not located
By Our Special Correspondent, The Hindu, October 29, 2002
NEW DELHI OCT. 28. The Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh said today that a special revision of electoral rolls in Gujarat was taken up in 152 Assembly constituencies spread over 23 districts.
- Gujarat polls to be held on December 12
Times News Network, October 28, 2002
NEW DELHI: Elections to the Gujarat Assembly will be held on December 12, Chief Election Commissioner James Lyngdoh announced here on Monday. Counting of votes will begin on December 15 and the entire poll process will be completed by Dec 20.
- Democracy of Faith
Editorial, The Times of India, October 28, 2002
The Tamil Nadu ordinance banning forcible religious conversions has raised the political temperature in a state where passions are already running high over the Cauvery deadlock.
- Staying On The Right Side
NGOs and academics condemn India's Hindu right-wing, but the US administration is more circumspect
A.K. SEN, Outlook Magazine | Nov 04, 2002
For the United States, the loony right didn't exist in India until grisly pictures from Gujarat shocked the US administration out of its complacency. It also ballooned the ranks of NGOs and academics warning about the inimical influence of Hindu extremists.
- Tough act to follow
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, The Hindustan Times, October 28, 2002
The terrorist attack on Gandhinagar's Akshardham temple and the Centre's speedy response to the crisis raise several uncomfortable questions that need to be raised despite there being no ready answers for most of them. To begin with, it is not easy to come up with a response that is based on the overall attitude towards the Sangh parivar.
- Healing Achilles Heel
Balbir K. Punj, Outlook Magazine | Nov 04, 2002
It's argued that Gujarat should be immune to violence since it's the land of Gandhi. But let's not forget it's also the land of Jinnah.
- 'Politics is like a toilet but VHP plays more than a cleansing role'
Acharya Giriraj Kishore: An nterview with Ajit Kumar Jha of The Sunday Express, Indian Express, October 27, 2002
VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore is busy these days planning the next Dharma Sansad, scheduled for February 2003, which is bound to revive the Ayodhya Mandir issue just before the assembly elections in nine states.With a triple masters degree, including one in political science, the 82-year-old Kishore is an expert at combining politics with religion. He has been in and out of almost all main organisations of the Sangh Parivar. He joined the RSS in 1940, the Jan Sangh by 1970 and the VHP in 1982. In an interview with Ajit Kumar Jha of The Sunday Express, Kishore defends the VHP.
- Who's afraid of the VHP
Ajit Kumar Jha, Indian Express, Octobe 27, 2002
In Delhi, VHP's Ashok Singhal wants the head of the PM's principal secretary, in Jammu, VHP takes on BJP candidates, in Gujarat, it backs Modi. Ajit Kumar Jha reports on the new politics of the VHP
- Modi Rath, VHP Wheels
Janyala Srinivas , The Indian Express, October 27, 2002
In the five years of BJP rule in Gujarat, the Parishad has come to have a vice-like grip on the party. Now, its leaders want more: tickets for the coming assembly elections.
- NRIs, good and bad
Khushwant Singh, The Hindustan Times, October 25, 2002
There are good NRIs and there are bad NRIs. Good NRIs send their savings back to India, give money to their poorer relations, set up schools, colleges and hospitals in towns and villages where they grew up. Bad NRIs involve themselves in Indian politics without knowing very much about the issues at stake. Living abroad exaggerates their desire to reaffirm their identity with their parent community in India. They identify themselves with the more extremist sections to which they send money and organise meetings for leaders of those groups in countries of their domicile.
- Not one witness shows up on Day 1 of probe
Police say they have list of 28 accused, will use them to get to 'others'
Sonu Jain, The Indian Express, October 25, 2002
Jhajjar, October 25: It was a mob of about 2,000 who watched the lynching of the five Dalits 10 days ago but not a single witness turned up on Day One of the ''high-level'' inquiry commission appointed by Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.
- Cow and culture
By Kancha Ilaiah, The Hindu, October 25, 2002
They killed five Dalits for skinning a cow... At least now the whole nation must stand up against this kind of spiritual and political nationalism.
- EC drafting Gujarat poll schedule
Times News Network, October 25, 2002
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) may soon announce the poll schedule for Gujarat assembly, even though the state administration has done next to nothing in enforcing its recommendations in this regard.
- Gujarat Abroad
Editorial, Times of India, October 25, 2002
The battle of Waterloo may have been won on the playing fields of Eton but the battle for the hearts and minds of the voters in Gujarat could - going by media reports - be waged in the Indian diaspora of New York, Washington, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.
- Court orders probe into Togadia speech
Times News Network, October 24, 2002
AHMEDABAD: A magisterial court has ordered inquiry into the allegedly provocative speech made by Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Dr Pravin Togadia, while speaking at Bhuj earlier this month.
- The portable, moveable Modi
Thoughts of the best packaged chief minister of India
Pamela Philipose, The Indian Express, October 25, 2002
For those who wonder how Narendra Modi can sleep at night after having presided over one of India's worst pogroms, there is this nifty little CD brought out by the Gujarat government, 'Two minutes to the truth'. It bears on its cover, a stern Modi with a glorious saffron angavastram draping his shoulders, staring fixedly at the future against a wash of bright saffron.
- Police State
Maja Daruwala, The Hindustan Times, October 24, 2002
Everyone knows the image of the police has fallen to a new low in recent months. Gujarat will lie like a stain across the face of Indian governance and the whole police force even if only one state was involved.
- Conversions a political act: Togadia
PTI, October 21, 2002
"Conversion was a political activity and not religious as claimed by the Christians and no society would allow itself to be destroyed by giving a free hand to Christians to carry out conversions,'' he told reporters.
- RSS chides Thackeray for suicide squad remark
PTI, October 22, 2002
NAGPUR: The RSS on Monday disagreed with Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's suggestion to form Hindu suicide squads and the harsh words used by VHP leader Praveen Togadia against Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
- Dangs' tribals get a dose of Modi's Hindutva
In a speech that lacked fire, CM praised tribals as original Hindus
Tanushree Chakraborty, The Indian Express, October 23, 2002
Village Subir, Dangs, October 22: Thousands of ''Ram Bhakts'', who had converged at the Shabri Mata Mandir in Subir on Tuesday to enjoy a ''Ram Katha'' recital by Morari Bapu, got a heavy dose of politics and hardline Hindutva instead. The presence of Gujarat caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other Ministers added political colour to the otherwise religious gathering.
- Jnanpith winner approaches SC on Gujarat
Rediff.com, October 22, 2002
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Centre, Gujarat government and the National Human Rights Commission on a petition filed by Jnanpith award winner Mahashweta Devi and 29 others seeking reopening of relief camps for Gujarat riot victims and transfer of all riot-related cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
- A surprise in Gujarat?
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, October 22, 2002
If the Kashmir election was a crucial step to enable the state to break away from its nightmarish past and chart a new course to the future, the Gujarat polls, too, are no less significant. In some respect, they are of even greater importance since the outcome will indicate whether India will retain its secular heritage or succumb to divisive machinations.
- Compromised Citizenship
Farah Naqvi, Editorial, The Times of India, October 23, 2002
Redress Alienation in Gujarat Now
Now that the debris in Gujarat has temporarily settled (or has it?), and cameras turned away from scenes of violence (at the moment they're trained on the triumphant glow of Indian democracy in Kashmir), let us finally count the dead. In terms of lives lost, we know estimates range from 2,000 to 3,000. But what about the living dead? The scores of Gujarati Muslims who exist in the twilight zone of silence, painfully adjusting themselves to life in no-man's land for they are no longer treated as equal citizens of India.
- Ambedkar In The Times Of Hindutva
S. Anand, Outlookindia.com, Oct 22, 2002
Five dalits are lynched by a Hindu mob. Their alleged crime: skinning a cow. The reporters and analysts who express shock and outrage do not go beyond stating that the dalits were doing what they have been traditionally doing: selling the dead cow's hide to make a living. There
are few who want to explore the historical relationship between the cow, the brahmin and the origins of untouchability.
- A grisly act
Editorial, The Hindu, October 21, 2002
THE GRISLY MURDER of five Dalits in a Haryana village arising reportedly from police action and mob violence needs to condemned in the strongest terms. Added to it is the statement of the VHP leader, Giriraj Kishore, to suggest the play of sentiments behind the lynching - the important place accorded to the cow in the shastras - which is reflective of a mindset that has dangerous implications.
- Probe Dalit killings, Advani tells Haryana
Tribune News Service, October 22, 2002
New Delhi, October 21 -- Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister L.K. Advani, today said he would ensure a thorough inquiry into the killing of five Dalits in Jhajjar district of Haryana and called for "strictest punishment" to the guilty.
- Sangh Parivar above the law?
By Neena Vyas, The Hindu, October 21, 2002
NEW DELHI OCT. 20. It seems that the laws of the land, or for that matter the norms of any civilised nation, do not apply to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or other RSS offspring. A string of dangerously provocative, communal and casteist statements have been issued by VHP leaders during the last two months.
- 'Indecent' depiction of Shiva in US angers Parivar
S. Rajagopalan, Washington, The Hindustan Times, October 22, 2002
Hindu groups in the US are up in arms against a leading bath fixtures firm for the "indecent depiction" of Lord Nataraj as a scantily clad woman taking a shower using the company's new fixtures in a newspaper ad.
- Riots erupt in Thane district
The Hindu, October 21, 2002
THANE, OCT. 20. Twenty persons, including two policemen, were injured as communal riots broke ut in Badlapur town in Maharashtra's Thanedistrict late tonight following a minor altercation between two youths, police said.
- Dalits blame saffron surge, set 15-day deadline for Govt action
Sumant Bhattacharya & Mukesh Bharadwaj, The Indian Express, October 21, 2002
Badshahpur \ chandigarh, Oct 20 One message emerged loud and clear from a mahapanchayat held today to protest the lynching of five Dalits in Jhajjar district last week: the increased activities of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal were increasing tensions in the area. With not a single arrest being made almost a week after the lynching, the mahapanchayat gave the Government 15 days to take action, failing which another mahapanchayat would
be held.
- Modi said hum paanch, hamare pachchis, look how Togadia does the multiplication
The Indian Express, October 21, 2002
There is much more to Vishwa Hindu Parishad general secretary Praveen Togadia's bark than just a 'dog from Italy'. A large part of his speech at Lodia village in Gujarat's Bhuj district on Saturday was addressed to the minorities.
- Statements in Godhra case confirm molestation
Leena Misra, Times News Network, October 19, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Did the so called Ram Sevaks on board the Sabarmati Express attempt to pull some women from the Godhra station on that fateful morning of February 27? This question has been doing the rounds since the day of the incident without any satisfactory answer.
- Gujarat: Of dark clouds and silver linings
Ammu Joseph, The Hindu, October 20, 2002
While terrorist attacks and gaurav yatras hog the headlines, a number of processes are currently under way in Gujarat, signifying both good news and bad about the situation in the State today, says AMMU JOSEPH.
- Modi threatens those who brought disrepute to Gujarat
Leena Mishra, Times News Network, October 20, 2002
In his speech, where he repeatedly said that he will take "the people who brought Gujarat disrepute" to task, Modi said: "I am waiting for the Assembly elections. Once the BJP gets re-elected, I will take each one of these culprits to task."
- Indian Muslims don't need certificate of patriotism: Shahnawaz
Press Trust of India, Kullu (Himachal Prades), , October 19, 2002
Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Saturday sought to disapprove of Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray's controversial statement on Muslims saying Indian Muslims did not need certificate of patriotism from anyone.
- Poll defeats shocked Guj BJP
Pankaj Vohra, The Hindustan Times, October 17, 2002
But the last three recorded expressions of the people through the ballot have indicated that the BJP had been rejected in the state. And in the aftermath of the Godhra and Akshardham when BJP thought it was consolidating its position through Modi everywhere, the Hindu-dominated areas of Jammu which is the closest to the theatre where anti Pakistan or anti Musharraf feelings can be felt, rejected the Saffron party.
- I speak, for my survival
When they attack a Muslim, they attack me
By Mukul Dube, The Indian Express, October 19, 2002
But, according to the rootless nationalism that Sangh Hindutva would force on us, he is an enemy, a born outsider. India Equals Hindu is the spurious equation which these enemies of reason seek to make us accept. No one who is not a Hindu can be an Indian, they shout.
- Cow's life very important: VHP
By Neena Vyas, The Hindu, October 19, 2002
NEW DELHI OCT. 18. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today denied its activists were involved in the lynching of five Dalit youths in Jhajhar, Haryana, on October 16, but at the same time it held that "according to Hindu shastras the life of a cow was very important".
- The Sangh and Swadeshi
By V. Krishna Ananth, Editorial, The Hindu, October 19, 2002
The debate (on economic policy) is a conscious attempt by the RSS to enlarge its own base and occupy the political space that has remained, predominantly, with the Left.
- Next leg of Gaurav Yatra to begin from Shamlaji
Times News Network, October 19, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The three-day long sixth leg of the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra will start from Shamlaji on October 19 and will conclude with a public meeting at Nadiad on the third day.
- Amnesty wants action against Ashok Singhal
Times News Network, October 18, 2002
NEW DELHI: The Amnesty International has expressed apprehension at the inflammatory statements made by VHP international working president Ashok Singhal against Muslims.
- Gujarat Govt. to abide by EC directive
PTI, New Delhi, Oct. 18, 2002
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, eager to have early Assembly polls, today said that his Government would abide by the Election Commission's directive on transfer of officers, but his party felt that implementation of the order was "not mandatory".
- Modi wave in Gujarat a hype?
Pankaj Vohra, Ahmedabad, The Hindustan Times, October 18, 2002
Is there a (Narendra) Modi wave sweeping Gujarat as the chief minister and his coterie both in the state and at the Centre would want everyone to believe, or is it hype?
- EC directive to Gujarat Govt.
By Our Legal Correspondent, The Hindu, October 18, 2002
NEW DELHI OCT. 17. Even as an announcement of the Assembly election schedule in Gujarat is awaited, the Election Commission today directed the State Government to transfer those officers who have served for four years in a place or are serving in their home districts.
- India: Hate speeches on the violence in Gujarat must be stopped
Public Statement, Amnesty International, 16 October 2002
Amnesty International is alarmed at repeated inflammatory statements made by Ashok Singhal, the international working president of the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP, a nationalist Hindu organization), about the violence against the Muslim population in Gujarat earlier this year, in
which more than 2,000 people were killed. The organization fears for the safety of many thousands of vulnerable people, should further violence be incited by the reported statements.
- Sixth phase of Gaurav Yatra from Oct 19
PTI, October 17, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The sixth phase of Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led Gaurav Yatra would begin from October 19 from Samraji temple in Sabarkanta and conclude after three days in Nadiad near Kheda district of Gujarat.
- All riot-relief camps to close down from Oct 30
Sourav Mukherjee, Times News Network , October 16, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Eight months after their world turned topsy-turvy on February 28, it's time to go home to an uncertain future for 2,530 inmates of four relief camps that are still functional in the city.
- All riot-relief camps to close down from Oct 30
Sourav Mukherjee, Times News Network , October 16, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Eight months after their world turned topsy-turvy on February 28, it's time to go home to an uncertain future for 2,530 inmates of four relief camps that are still functional in the city.
- Modi announces another yatra from Oct 31
Sudhir Vyas, Times News Network, October 16, 2002
PORBANDER: Even as the Gaurav Yatra entered the fifth phase on Wednesday, Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced yet another yatra that his party will launch soon. This time it is the BJP Yuva Morcha which will bring out a rally on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from Karamsad, his birthplace. The aim of the rally would be to "strengthen the party at the grassroots level."
- Tiger's tail
Editorial, The Hindustan Times, October 17, 2002
Mr Thackeray is apparently yet to realise that the future of not only the Shiv Sena but of virtually the entire saffron camp is not too bright at the moment. The losses suffered by the BJP in a number of recent state elections is evidence of its decline. But old habits die hard. So, Mr Thackeray is continuing to deliver his old lines from a stage which is growing dark.
- Thackeray snub
Telegraph, New Delhi, October 17, 2002
The BJP today distanced itself from Bal Thackeray's call to Hindus to band themselves into suicide squads to counter Islamic fidayeens, saying that one form of terrorism could not be answered by another, reports our special correspondent.
- Victims look for work
By Kalpana Sharma, The Hindu, October 16, 2002
As the Gujarat Government seems uninterested in either reconstructing the destroyed homes or the shattered lives of the victims of the communal violence, the burden of that will have to be borne by civil society.
- Communal violence breaks out in central Gujarat, 27 arrested
Express News Service, Vadodara, October 15, 2002
One person was injured in private firing and a police constable in stone throwing as communal violence broke out in the central Gujarat town of Jhalod, about 150 km from here, around midnight. Trouble started late in the evening when a tribal, unsatisfied with the quality of meat he purchased, picked up a fight with the butcher belonging to another community. The incident took a communal turn as groups belonging to both communities took to the street.
- Bandh affects life in Gujarat
Times News Network, October 15, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The call to boycott the bandh by the clerics and leaders of the minority community went virtually unheeded in areas of Ahmedabad and south Gujarat. The bandh call given by the lesser-known Mustafa Raza Academy turned near-total on Monday.
- Fifth phase of Gaurav Yatra to commence from tomorrow
Ahmedabad, PTI, Oct 15, 2002
The fifth phase of BJP's Gaurav Yatra, piloted by Chief Minister Narendra Modi to highlight Gujarat's pride, would commence from Mahatma Gandhi's birth place, Porbander tomorrow.
- Thackeray favours suicide squads of Hindus
Press Trust of India, Mumbai, October 15, 2002
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has favoured formation of suicide squads amongst Hindus to take on the menace of terrorism.
"If such suicide squads are formed then only we can take on perpetrators of mindless violence", Thackeray said in party mouthpiece Saamna here on Tuesday.
- A yatra of shame
By A.G. Noorani, HindustanTimes.com, October 15, 2002
It is, however, not amusing but disgusting to find the prime minister of India and his deputy expressing contrition abroad for the Gujarat massacres, while defending Narendra Modi at home. Atal Bihari Vajpayee won undying fame for his speech at Goa on April 12. But, he said in New York on September 13, with poetic delicacy, that the Gujarat riots were "not good". He amplified, though, that "a situation should not be created at home which forces us to bow our heads in shame before others (abroad)".
- After successful J-K polls, EC to focus on Gujarat
New Delhi, PTI, OCT 13, 2002
After a successful conduct of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission is all set to focus its attention on Gujarat where assembly polls are likely sometime in December.
- The Modi Road Show
Dionne Bunsha in Gandhinagar, Frontline, Volume 19 - Issue 21, October 12 - 25, 2002
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi sets off on his `Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' again. Will the Akshardham sentiment fuel his campaign momentum?
- RSS sharpens knives against BJP Government
Hemendra Singh Bartwal, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, October 13, 2002
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani may have chosen to make light of the Sangh Parivar's public criticism of the Vajpayee government, but the RSS and its allied outfits are in no mood to be taken for granted.
- Next phase of Gaurav Yatra to begin from October 16
AHMEDABAD, OCT 12 (PTI)
The fifth phase of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra', aimed at highlighting the state's pride, would begin from Porbander on October 16.
- Gaurav Yatra is a Shame; No, it's our Pride
TIMES SAMVAD, The Times of India, October 12, 2002
The coffers are empty, people are insecure. Is this Gujarat's gaurav? Shankersinh Vaghela Gujarat Congress president
Gujarat has much to celebrate after five years of BJP government; Gordhan Zadaphia Gujarat minister of state for home
- Sangh mouthpiece trashes BJP
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN, The Telegraph, New Delhi, Oct. 9, 2002
Sangh mouthpiece Panchajanya has joined the chorus of criticism against the Centre, days after RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan attacked the “anti-swadeshi” lobby and the VHP held the Prime Minister and his deputy accountable for failure to tackle militancy.
- Anti-terrorism lessons from Akshardham
Praful Bidwai, October 9, 2002 , Rediff.com
The ending of the nightmarish takeover of the Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar by two terrorists -- who mowed down 37 innocent worshippers -- produced a widespread sense of relief. But there is also smug self-congratulation in the Gujarat government and the Union home ministry over the "professionalism" of the National Security Guard operation which led to the terrorists' killing, and the "effectiveness" with which the Gujarat police contained the fallout of the episode, preventing communal disturbances, unlike after the Godhra carnage. Part of the success is being attributed to the welcome presence of the prime minister, deputy PM and the leader of the Opposition in Gandhinagar.
- BJP calls for early Gujarat polls
Times News Network, October 10, 2002
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the successful holding of Assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir, the BJP on Wednesday turned the spotlight back on Gujarat by urging the Election Commission to initiate the process of holding elections in the state.
- Godhra panel asked to speed up probe
AGENCIES October 10, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Authorities in Gujarat have requested the two-member judicial commission, probing the February 27 Godhra carnage, to expedite the probe even as a key police official identified two corporators as those who had led the mob during the attack on kar sevaks.
- US holds official inaction responsible for Gujarat riots
NDTV Correspondent, Washington, October 8, 2002
The US State Department has blamed the official machinery for riots that broke out in Gujarat in March. The state department's findings are based on the annual report on International Religious Freedom, which was presented to Congress yesterday by Secretary of State Colin Powell.
- Gujarat polls acid test for BJP: Advani
Times News Network, October 09, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Both deputy prime minister L K Advani and BJP president Venkaiah Naidu made it clear before party workers here on Tuesday that the repurcussions of the results of the assembly elections in Gujarat would be felt far beyond the state's borders.
- Modi's handling of violence unparalleled: Advani
Press Trust of India,
Ahmedabad, Octobe 8, 2002
The Deputy Home Minister L.K. Advani on Tuesday came out in strong defence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's Gaurav Yatra and the way he handled communal violence in the state.
- Business Basics: Surat Stood Firm Against Violence
Kingshuk Nag, The Times of India, October 08, 2002
So when in the aftermath of Godhra, cities like Ahmedabad began to burn and violence erupted in Surat too, the local businessmen decided to strike back. Organised under the banner of the influential South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), business decided proactively to collaborate with the police in maintaining law and order.
- Temple puts past behind
Meghdoot Sharon, Gandhinagar, The Indian Express, October 7, 2002
On Monday, the Akshardham temple complex at Gandhinagar was a picture of serenity. Throughout the day, people kept filtering in through the main gate and almost all visited the main temple and exhibition halls.
- Yatra: On final leg, Modi loses out on steam
Express News Service, Radhanpur, October 6, 2002
The reason Narendra Modi claims he is undertaking the Gaurav Yatra — to restore the pride of Gujarat — does not seem to go down well with people anymore. Except for a few new sentences, his Musharraf-bashing has become a cliche and the speeches are repetitive.
- Post-Godhra riots: NHRC issues notice to Chief Secy, DGP
Press Trust of India, Ahmedabad, October 07, 2002
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to Gujarat Chief Secretary G Subbarao and DGP K Chakravarthi on a petition about alleged burning of seven churches during the post-Godhra riots in Limkheda district, a prominent Christian leader said today.
- Modi tries to woo minorities using Akshardham card
Times News Network, October 06, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Shifting from his earlier rhetoric, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi used the Akshardham incident to woo the minorities at Patdi and Shankheshwar by saying, "We (the BJP) insist that the terrorists were Pakistanis, but the Congress says that they were Gujarati Muslims."
- Two injured in communal clash in Dabhoi
Times News Network, October 06, 2002
VADODARA: Trouble erupted in the communally sensitive town of Dabhoi on Sunday afternoon after a mob attacked shops belonging to the majority community. The police fired seven rounds that left two persons injured.
- VHP indulging in doublespeak, says YC chief
Times News Network, October 05, 2002
RAJKOT: National Youth Congress president Randeep Surjewala said here on
Friday that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad was indulging in double speak on
the issue of the central government’s stand on national security.
- Modi takes detour to Ambaji via Rajasthan
Sanjay Pandey, Times News Network, October 05, 2002
AMBAJI: The Rajasthan police made unprecedented security arrangements for Chief Minister Narendra Modi, as he landed at the Abu Road helipad to launch the fourth leg of his Gaurav Yatra.
- Yatra fourth leg: CM will have to contend with drought issue
Rajiv Shah, Times News Network, October 05, 2002
GANDHINAGAR: Chief Minister Narendra Modi's fourth leg of Gaurav Yatra
will start from Ambaji in North Gujarat on Saturday, a pilgrimage centre
surrounded by tens of villages affected by one of the worst droughts in
recent years.
- A spark ignites communal fires
Syed Khalique Ahmed, The Indian Express, Vadodara, October 3, 2002
Argument over a trivial issue of payment at an omlette larri led to communal violence in Navapura on Tuesday night. Police had to lob teargas shells to disperse warring groups.
- Vadodara raises voices against violence
Times News Network, October 03, 2002
VADODARA: 'Voices against Violence', the five-day art exhibition that opened at the fine arts faculty's exhibition hall on Wednesday was no mere coincidence.
- Muslims pitch in for secularism
Times News Network, October 03, 2002
VADODARA: A little more than a week ago, Machchipith had turned into a battlefield as groups clashed on Ganpati immersion day. It has always remained a "sensitive area", one of the nerve centres of violence. It was the same area on Wednesday that reverberated with 'Sare jahan se achchha, Hindustan hamara ...' sung by girls from the minority community.
- Violence in Gujarat
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, October 03, 2002
AHMEDABAD Oct. 2. Several parts of Gujarat witnessed violence on the Gandhi Jayanti Day today forcing police to open fire in Bhavnagar and burst teargas shells in Vadodara and Piplod town of Anand district.
- A return to Iqbal’s New Temple
Eulogies to India’s multiculturalism
Mushirul Hasan, The Indian Express, October 2, 2002
Terrorists have struck yet again: this time targeting the sacred precincts of a temple in Gandhinagar. Their motives will not be known, but the act of killing innocent devotees is reprehensible. Even though Narendra Modi continues to inflame religious passions, revenge and reprisal must be shunned to restore some measure of inter-community harmony.
- Bitten by BJP, VHP not shy; takes another dig
Says India needs leaders like Sharon, Bush, Shivaji to tackle terrorism
Pradeep Kaushal, The Indian Express, October 2, 2002
Seeking an end to the controversy generated by the criticism of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee by VHP working president Ashok Singhal, VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia today said his senior colleague had made the remarks only ‘‘as an ardent supporter of the BJP’’. But he added in the same breath that India needed a leader like Ariel Sharon, George W Bush or Shivaji to combat terrorism, implying that the VHP’s criticism of Vajpayee’s handling of terrorism still stands.
- Finally, some return fire
It is high time the BJP let the loose canons within the Parivar know where to get off
Editorial, The Indian Express, October 2, 2002
If the BJP has long appeared a prisoner to the whims, fancies and often dangerous agendas of the various constituents of the Sangh Parivar, it has only itself to blame. Consider the irony here. A political party that had come to power through the electoral process and is accountable to the people was being held to ransom by a bunch of organisations that were accountable to no one but themselves.
- Gujarat riots cast shadow over GIC profits
Underwriting losses of insurance firms zoom 46 pc
Ens Economic Bureau, October 1, 2002
Mumbai, October 1: With Gujarat riots claims creating a big hole for the insurers, the total underwriting losses of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and its four subsidiaries —National Insurance Co Ltd, New India Assurance Co Ltd, United India Insurance Co Ltd and Oriental Insurance Co Ltd —have gone up by 46.66 per cent to Rs 2,529 crore in 2001-02 from Rs 1,722 crore in the previous year. Gujarat riots and higher claims on motor insurance also pulled down the profits of insurance companies.
- South Asians in U.S. remember Gandhi
By Vasantha Arora, Indo-Asian News Service
Washington, Oct 2 (IANS) A group of South Asians held a vigil at Mahatma Gandhi's statue opposite the Indian embassy here to call for religious harmony in India.
- Gujarat battle awaits verdict
By Our Legal Correspondent, The Telegraph, October 2, 2002
New Delhi, Oct. 1: After marathon arguments over three weeks on postponement of the Gujarat polls, the Supreme Court today reserved its judgment on the presidential reference about the Election Commission's powers to decide when to hold elections.
- SC reserves judgment
The Hindu, New Delhi Oct. 1, 2002
The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on a three-point Presidential Reference questioning the validity of the Election Commission's controversial order deferring polls in Gujarat and refused to pass any interim order on the petition challenging the position of Narendra Modi as caretaker Chief Minister.
More - Archive One (September, 2002)
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