Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation turned dodgy after the Gujarat pogrom on his watch in 2002, but he gained legal relief — and political fillip — when the Supreme Court-appointed SIT held that direct evidence couldn’t be found to hold him legally culpable for the massacre for which fingers pointed at him.
While the issue is still in play judicially, Mr Modi has quite successfully sought to reinvent himself as a “development Chief Minister”. It was with this tag that he was promoted by the BJP as the party’s candidate for Prime Minister, a role in which he has revelled, given his dynamism and special quality of striking the stance of being a “strong” leader (whatever that means), and brought energy and hope to the BJP’s election campaign for the Lok Sabha, which the party hopes would propel it to power.
However, right in the middle of the poll campaign, elements in the BJP and the wider Sangh Parivar (RSS-affiliated Hindu extremist organisations) have suddenly piped up with views and thoughts that are repugnant to the idea of a tolerant and secular India. The BJP dissociated itself from the statement of one of its Bihar leaders and Lok Sabha candidate, Giriraj Singh, who is desirous of sending to Pakistan all those who don’t vote BJP in Mr Modi’s name. The man stands by his opinion, though. His party has not penalised him. He is still an election candidate.
Before the embarrassment could die down, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia announced that Muslims must not be permitted to buy a house in “Hindu areas” in a town. And suddenly, a leader of the Shiv Sena, a BJP ally, while sharing a stage with Mr Modi in Mumbai, called Muslims “deshdrohis (anti-national)” and warned they would be punished when the Gujarat CM became PM.
Mr Modi was calm in the face of this repetitive unfurling of the communal agenda. He took to Twitter to disapprove of these “petty” and “irresponsible” remarks which distracted attention from his “development” plank. But he named no one. He did not warn errant partymen and supporters to look sharp. No one indirectly reprimanded by him has expressed an iota of regret, and one has re-asserted his vile opinion. Mr Modi was content to call what was poisonous “petty”, and is clearly keen to move on.
Chances are that when the next Giriraj or Togadia comes along, the BJP’s PM-aspirant will again disapprove in light terms, effectively not scotching communal vituperations. With some 35 constituencies with 30 per cent or more Muslim voters still awaiting polling when the deep communalists struck, it is an open question whether they aimed as part of a design to polarise and consolidate Hindu votes behind Mr Modi.
