Gujarat polls : Campaigning hots up on communal lines,Indian Politics, News Analysis, India News Online

The campaign for the Assembly elections in Gujarat is fast assuming a communal overtone despite initial claims of both the BJP and the Congress, the two main contenders in the fray, that they want to fight the elections on the development agenda.

With the first phase of polling (Dec.11) approaching fast, Chief Minister Narendra Modi brought back the communal angle to the election campaign saying that Sohrabuddin Sheikh, who was killed in a fake encounter, got what he deserved. Addressing a rally at Mangrol in South Gujarat on December 4, he attacked the Congress for being soft on terrorism. Observers say that Naren¬dra Modi may have whipped up the anti-Muslim sentiment, apprehen¬sive that his development plank may not work. The slogan of “Mian Musharraf” had helped Narendra Modi to sweep the Assembly elections in 2002, Sohrabuddin Sheikh could be the trump card the Chief Minister has been looking for in the current elections, analysts say.

Attacking the Congress and its president Sonia Gandhi, Narendra Modi said, “Sonia Gandhi spoke of terrorism. But she has no right to talk of this. Till today, those who attacked Parliament have not been sent to the gallows. Congress in Gujar¬at is raising its voice on the Sohrabuddin issue. But, it should explain to the people what should be done to a main who stored illegal arms and ammunition. You tell me, what should have been done to Sohrabuddin.”

The rally echoed with shouts of “kill him, kill him,” Modi responded with, “Well, that is it. Do I have to take Sonia Gand¬hi’s permission to do this ? Hang me if I have done anything wrong.”

Narendra Modi followed it up, telling a rally at Godhra, the epicentre of the riots that engulfed the state in 2002, that the Congress believed, “Hindus were terrorists.”

First, Modi asked a gathering of some 7,000 people whether they were Hindus. When they replied in the affirmative, he asked whether they were terrorists. When they replied in the negative, he told them “the Congress thinks you are.” Modi was responding to the statement of Congress leader Digvijay Singh wherein the latter had spoken of “Muslim terrorists and Hindu terrorists” at the release of the Congress manifesto in Ahmedabad.

Observers say the change in tactics has manifested in an overtly communal campaign by Modi. Whether this has been in response to Congress leaders’ statements as his supporters claim or suo motu, as it were, given the pressure on him from a com¬bined Opposition and serious dissent within is anybody’s guess. The issue is whether this campaign will pay the chief minister electoral dividends. While the answer to that question will only be forthcoming when the votes are counted, it has certainly resulted in a politically surcharged atmosphere with communal undertones, both in Gujarat and in the responses of the major political parties nationally.

Modi Govt. creating fear psychosis : Congress

The Congress on its part, has said that Chief Minister Narendra Modi is keeping people in Gujarat in the dark by talk¬ing about terrorism and creating a fear psychosis in the state. Addressing election rallies at Rajkot and Surat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, without taking the name of Sohrabuddin Shekikh, said, “People are being killed here without any reason. I do not have much to say about the law and order situation here. If you are with the Government machinery, you are safe, and if you are not with the Government, then God help you.”

Addressing a gathering in Rajkot on Dec. 7, Dr. Manmohan Singh said under the Constitution, all Indians, irrespective of gender, caste and creed, minority, tribal and scheduled castes are equal. But in Gujarat, nobody can say that everyone is equal and secure.

Asked at a news conference in Surat about Narendra Modi’s speech on Sohrabuddin Sheikh, the Prime Minister said, “I would not like to comment as the case is sub-judice and it is unfor¬tunate if some people comment on such issues.”

People of Gujarat looking forward to a change : Sonia

Following up her speeches at election rallies in Gujarat, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said in New Delhi on Dec. 6 that the people of the state are looking forward to a change. Ad¬dressing the Congress Parliamentary Party, she said that the Congress during the election campaign is reaffirming its commit¬ment to fundamental constitutional and secular values. She said the BJP government in Gujarat has not lived up to its claims on development of the state.

Sonia Gandhi did not make any reference to Narendra Modi’s statement on the Sohrabuddin killing, and avoided any response to the state Chief Minister’s attack on her and the Congress on the issue of terrorism. However, in an implied reference to the Tehelka sting operation over the post-Godhra riots, Sonia Gandhi said, “the media has exposed the active involvement of the BJP leadership in the brutalities which took place in 2002.”

Sonia Gandhi again said that the Congress is committed to support the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. She launched a veiled attack on the CPI(M) led Left Front government in West Bengal over the violence in Nandigram.

Narendra Modi tones down rhetoric

Faced with criticism of his controversial remarks on the fake encounter killings, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said at Kapilwad in Gujarat on Dec. 6 that he has never justified “fake police encounters”, which he said cannot be accepted. But he accused Congress president Sonia Gandhi of what he called provok¬ing him to play the Hindutva card during the election campaign. Modi said, he and his government are against fake encounters and have taken a stand against it in the Supreme Court.

Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said that Narendra Modi’s remarks on Sohrabuddin Sheikh were in response to Congress presi¬dent Sonia Gandhi’s comments and should be seen in the context of terrorism. He said words like “merchants of death” and “dishon¬est” which Sonia Gandhi had allegedly used against Narendra Modi were highly objectionable. He said the Election Commission should not have double standards and should adopt a uniform approach in both the cases.

The Congress, on its part, said that Sonia Gandhi’s “mer¬chants of death” remark was not aimed at Narendra Modi. Union Minister Kapil Sibal said, “Sonia Gandhi took no name. She said nothing wrong. Merchants of death was meant for the manner in which certain state functionaries were working.”

Supreme Court to hear pleas for action against Narendra Modi

The Supreme Court will be taking up today, Dec. 10, two applications seeking a probe into Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged complicity in the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. One of the applications has been filed by Rubabuddin, brother of Sohrabuddin and the other by noted lyricist Javed Akhtar.

The pleas came after Narendra Modi’s controversial remarks at an election rally that Sohrabuddin had got what he deserved. This had led to a furore, with some parties calling for Modi’s disqualification. The Election Commission has issued him a no¬tice.

Both Rubabuddin and Akhtar moved the SC on Friday. A bench comprising Justices Tarun Chatterjee and Dalveer Bhandari said the court would take up the applications in the pending matters for hearing on Monday.

Rubabuddin and Akhtar’s counsel alleged that Modi, at a public meeting on December 4, brazenly admitted his sanction for the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin in 2005.

Rubabuddin’s pending petition seeks a CBI probe into the fake encounter of his brother and the murder of his sister-in-law Kausar Bi.

Modi seeks more time from EC

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Dec. 8, sought more time from the Election Commission to file his reply to its notice seeking explanation for his election speech justi¬fying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter.

Modi’s lawyer sought “few more hours time” to file his reply, EC sources said.

The Commission, which held prima facie that his remarks amounted to indulging in activities which could aggravate commu¬nal hatred and tension, had earlier asked Modi to file his re¬sponse by 11 a.m.

The EC told the Chief Minister that his campaign speech at Mangrol on December 4 had come to its notice and a complaint had also been filed by Teesta Setalvad alleging that the speech amounted to an open exhortation to violence and misuse of reli¬gion for political ends.

“The Commission, prima facie, is of the view that the refer¬ences to late Sohrabuddin and linking his name to terrorism, made in the speech, amount to indulging in activity which may ag¬gravate existing differences, creating mutual hatred and causing tension between different communities,” the EC had said.

It also noted that his speech would involve violations of the Model Code of Conduct.

In another setback for Narendra Modi, senior advocate K.T.S. Tulsi, who defended the state Government in the Supreme Court in the fake encounter case has returned the brief and opted out of the case. Tulsi accused Narendra Modi of playing ducks and drakes with the rule of law and the Supreme Court by making remarks justifying the extra-legal killings.

Tulsi, while appearing in the Supreme Court earlier, had said that the state would spare no one involved in Sohrabuddin’s extra-legal killing and had persuaded the court not to order a CBI probe into the fake encounter. Tulsi said that he is immen¬sely pained by Narendra Modi’s remarks during an election rally justifying the killing.

Parties demand action against Narendra Modi

Several political parries have demanded action against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his speech reportedly justifying fake encounter killings. Congress spokesperson Ab¬hishekh Singhvi said in New Delhi on December 5, “This is the first time in global democratic history that an elected constitu¬tional authority has justified cold-blooded murder. Modi has virtually owned up to a murder and he has declared that he has a licence to kill.”

CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury described Narendra Modi’s speech as shameful and said that even if a person was a known criminal, it was not for the Chief Minister to decide his fate; not even the Prime Minister can do that.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said, “Narendra Modi has spoken not like a politician, but like a criminal.”

Narendra Modi’s speech has been criticised by Janata Dal (United) which is a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Bihar Chief Minister and senior JDU leader Nitish Kumar said in Vadodra last week, “it is not right to talk about Sohrabuddin encounter in political speeches when the matter is sub judice

Trouble from BJP rebels

In a move adding to the BJP’s woes in Gujarat, party rebels spearheading the oust-Narendra Modi campaign under the banner of Sardar Patel Utkarsh Samiti have published advertisements which conveyed the impression that their project had the backing of former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel.

The advertisement which appeared in two prominent Gujarati dailies on Monday was a compilation of anti-Modi remarks made in the past by his predecessor in office. It found its way in the two vernacular dailies exactly three days after Patel ex¬tended his “blessings” to the BJP’s efforts to retain power in the state, and it was clear that the dissidents had timed their latest offensive to negate the impact of his appeal.

The BJP, however, remained unperturbed about the likely fallout of this ad campaign. “Those who claim to be running this committee are only fronting for the Congress,” asserted party general secretary Arun Jaitley.

The man at the centre of the entire controversy, Keshubhai Patel, was guarded in his reaction. He disowned the ad cam¬paign, maintaining he had nothing to do with it, but admitted to have made the remarks attributed to him.

Thin crowds at party rallies worry BJP

The BJP is worried at thin crowds attending party rallies addressed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior leader L.K. Advani in Gujarat. Especially in South Gujarat, the crowds at BJP rallies have been nothing to write home about.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s rallies in south Gujarat, especially those in the rural areas, have been attracting more crowds, according to observers.

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Punters forecast a tight race, with Independents holding the balance

Betting syndicates now say that it would be a close race in Gujarat between he ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress and it is possible that Independents may hold the balance.

If the punters are to be believed, the polls might end in a hung Assembly and that’s when the Independents could play a crucial role in the formation of the next government.

The successful public meetings of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Saurashtra and south Gujarat is what is said to have brought about a change in the satta metre, with bookies revising the rates for a BJP win.

According to them, the BJP, for the first time, has slipped down to 88 seats, two short of a simple majority.

The bookies say they are keeping a close watch on the public meetings of top guns of both parties. Barring cricketer-turned-BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, none of the party leaders, including L K Advani, has been able to leave an impression on the voters. The BJP public meetings are not being considered ‘successful’ by the bookies.

What the punters consider a successful meeting is where the crowds are more than 5,000.

“Going by this, not a single meeting of Chief Minister Narendra Modi could be termed successful,” say the bookies.

They argue that the gap between the Congress and the BJP has narrowed and with the help of victorious Independent candidates, both the parties stand a chance of forming the next state govern¬ment.

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