Time To Stop Demonization Of Narendra Modi – OpEd
By B. Raman
The allegations made against Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, in connection with some incidents of violence against Muslims during the communal disturbances of 2002 were quite serious. They amounted to charges of conscious inaction amounting to criminal complicity.
These allegations warranted thorough investigation by a body of professional investigators and follow-up action in the form of criminal prosecution if the allegations proved to be correct during the investigation.
Such a body was constituted by the judiciary through the setting-up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by R. K. Raghavan, former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Raghavan is a highly distinguished officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) known for his professionalism, integrity, independence and objectivity.
He had been associated with many complex criminal investigations when he headed the CBI and continues to be associated with matters relating to the Police even after his retirement.
After a thorough and professional investigation lasting about two years, the SIT headed by him has reportedly concluded that its investigation did not unearth any evidence that could warrant the prosecution of Modi under any charge.
In other words, the allegations of criminal complicity against Modi stand disproved. The serious allegations against Modi were not pushed under the carpet. He was not exempted from facing the due process of the law in the nature of a criminal investigation. He was treated like any other citizen despite the high office held by him and subjected to a criminal investigation by a team of distinguished professionals.
When the SIT has cleared him of the charges levelled against him by some sections of the public—particularly from the Muslim community— and by some human rights activists, fairness of criminal justice demands that the demonization campaign against him should be discontinued and the sword hanging over his head should be removed. He has been cleared honourably and not conditionally.
Instead of doing so, his political and non-Governmental detractors seem determined not to accept the conclusions of the SIT and to keep up the campaign of denigration and demonization against him by recycling the allegations which have already been enquired into and found unproven by the SIT.
It is no longer a case of the law taking its own course, but one of malicious witch-hunt against a political leader by his political opponents and by sections of the media and lawyers and others who are not well disposed towards him. Even after having failed to prove the charges before the SIT, they are determined to keep their vicious campaign alive for political reasons and not for reasons of natural justice.
Their ill-motivated attempts have to be deplored by all right-thinking persons, who should demand that the campaign of demonization should stop immediately. Modi has so far not allowed this campaign to negatively affect his administration of the State of Gujarat for the last 10 years. The State has made considerable progress under his leadership. This is acknowledged by independent-minded observers and even by persons who are not comfortable with him as an individual.
His future should be decided by the people not on the basis of the re-cycled unproven allegations of his demonisers, but on the basis of what he has already achieved as an administrator, his ideas and vision for the future and his capability for achieving them.
Those who still have reservations regarding his style of leadership and do not agree with those who praise his governance should confront him politically and establish before the people that his achievements and capabilities are over-rated if that is what they feel.
But his detractors and demonisers find themselves on a weak ground in respect of a political campaign against him based on objective factors. They are, therefore, trying to keep alive the demonization in the hope of thereby damaging and destroying his future political career. This has to be strongly deplored and I have no hesitation in doing so.
I have never been an uncritical admirer of Modi. Nor am I in the ranks of his perpetual demonisers. I have always sought to judge him as objectively as I can. It is my view that the demonization campaign against him must stop now.
Good one sir! Seems like straight from heart.
Very well said; I agree with you. We should move on and accept that we need guy like Narendra Modi to make our country better.
After a “no stones left unturned”, “no nonsense” investigation The Special Investigation Team has spoken. And the verdict is Shri Narendra Modi had no hand in the riots. Gujarathis are the most peaceful people, who have adopted Gandhi’s advice to “show the other cheek” as gospel. Even this society could not stomach the brutality of the Muslim mob that burnt a trainload of innocentwomen and childrn and exploded in disguest. Another investigation has established the source from which the Muslim Mob procured the incendiary material.
Mr Narendra Modi has proved again and again that he is a visionary incorruptible leader who has taken Gujarat to great heights. During electiin after election, the people have spoken, returning Mr Modi with ever greater/wider margins. The people have spoken many tines over. It is now high time for politicians ((green with envy) to stop the demonization, and work together for making our land corrupt free and putting India on the path of progress, a path that Mr. Modi has charted so well for Gujarat.
To all those who hate or like Narendra Modi. I am amazed at voluminous public opinions on what has happened at Gujarat in 2002, some people believe there was a conspiracy and some believe it’s a political strategy to blame Modi. Well its state apparatus and Modi himself are the persons who knew what was happening? Situations during communal riots are unpredictable at least until it is established there is a problem call in Military and Impose a curfew. Victims may not be expected to know full information weather there is premeditated attack against them or its instantaneous attack against them. So next order comes to CBI and probing agencies that will investigate the matters and submit reports to Judiciary and this has happened and in the course there are differences of opinion between two authority’s amicus Curie Ramachandran and SIT, but it was SIT was more responsible
To probe the entire matter. The Activist fighting Modi differs from SIT opinion and it’s up to Judiciary to decide if they feel the whole Investigation was fair. Looking at interview aired on different channels high emotions can are seen on the faces of activist who forcefully argue
Investigation is not in right order and when you look at Modi’s interview he makes his argument with no expression (rather tries to) in his face “Did court say I am guilty”?
Definitely I am surprised how much energy Modi has to take on this, One might say blame game is a common phenomenon in politics but here it is definitely more than that he is personally held responsible for all the killings of Godra (specifically Muslim Community), But to him this has become an incident of past and he is only trying to focus on future. He has been elected twice by Gujrathi people and he has taken on responsibility and was rated best chief minister. He has shown to rest of India what you can do if you are able administrator. Opposition has had no opportunity, they were thinking they were criticizing Modi but were unintentionally showering praise on him. So we have to think what ammunition has opposition has to take on Modi political, well it’s only past “GODRA RIOTS”. So 2007 legal complaints were filed and whole episode of Godra was raked up again, cuts were made in healing wounds and salt sprinkled so that people start to believe Modi was a culprit. Activist were provided necessary Monitory and political support to project them as neutral party as if they are working hard for real justice, magazines like Thehelka carried fictitious stories of Godra similar to bolly wood movie climax; Selected discontent state officers were worked out for anti Modi operation. But to Modi this did not mean anything he has considerably won a second time and he has progressed along with Gujarat in his second tenure and people have started to think of him as national leader and his ratings have definitely gone up. The whole communal issue is not with Modi but people who hate him because they are seeing the glass half empty rather than half full. Gujarat as a state has progressed its not individual communities, the fruits of development belong to Gujrathi people and there were no cases where it was denied to particular community. Different schemes of Government were available to all communities. The success of Modi is further frustrating the opposition and they are looking at creating more fictional stories and train more people to provide false evidences.
If there was something wrong at Godra and all the state apparatus is keeping mum it would be hard to believe then we can safely say Gujarat is anti Minority state but we have not seen behavior in past or after 2002.Post Independence there were several places where there were communal riots and always seen as sensitive areas like Old city of Hyderabad, and communities flared up in 1984 Sikh riots but if one observes opposition parties of India have not learned so much of “Divide and Rule” as the congress has done so in the interest of the country the wounds were allowed to heal and normalcy restored. Activist in a way are causing more harm by not letting wounds heal in a way they are responsible for all the bomb blasts that happen as revenge to Godra, because they do not want people to believe in any agency probing and bent on saying Justice cannot be achieved in this country. Why are these people not fighting to give punishment to those Central Agencies who tried to paint “Godra was an accident”? What was the intention of doing that?
Modi means lot to India after the first Non Gandhi 5 year PM Narashima Rao and his finance minister who laid foundations for a prosperous India; also let the opposition parties to take roots. Till end of 1990 there was no opposition for Congress party which means democracy had no strong foundations. Currently Modi is one of the able administrators whom India needs weather to carry on reforms of bring in innovation and good Governance and bring some sold experience and fresh ideas to Governance rather than one more term of rotten inherited dynasty rule of Gandhi and all scams associated with it. Congress wants’ to systematically destroy political parties and good Leaders and rule India for ever with Gandhi’s at center of party strategizing all this.
Does India not want uninterrupted 24 Hour electricity, Good Governance, Security and strong infrastructure, Congress party having ruled UP for nearly 50 years never was able to achieve this and begging for one more term. Modi should be hanged if legal system finds him unconstitutional but till then he needs to continue his success in Gujarat and bring that to all of India