[nukkad] Gujarat: A beginning or the end?

["Pankaj Gupta" <>]

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God could not be everywhere, and therefore he created mothers. 
-Jewish proverb
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Hello All,

So, the event is done and over with. My father said after the results came
out: "This should give Congress something to work over. They had started to
feel very confident in their ways and methods."

When the election period started, the question wasn't if Modi's tactics were
true to democracy or not. It wasn't even if BJP was humming a pro-Hindu
tune. These were obvious facts. The question was: What line would Congress
take? By taking an approach similar to BJP, it first failed to stress the
faults in BJP rhetoric, and second failed to bring Muslims out to Voting
Booth. I wouldn't be surprised if a number of fake votes were cast in names
of Muslim voters in favor of BJP. But, without Congress taking a proactive
approach, this wouldn't make much difference to overall result of the
elections.

After the elections, the question to ask is: Does it mean a beginning or
end? I don't think that is going to be so. From all the different communal
incidents we have seen, this was strange that it was solely motivated by
politics. It is my strong belief that towards the mid-term of this assembly
the constituency would come to a realization that they have been cheated
somehow by both the parties. I see this as an opportunity for a regional
party. However, I am not making any predictions based on that. It could also
lead to people becoming apathetic towards the political scenario. Yet, if
some leader with the ability to arouse the populace does come to fore, I
would be surprised if he finds it difficult to steer the ship in certain
direction.

My belief that this is not a beginning or end to anything comes from a
number of indicators. First, of course, it is not the first time that such
methods have been employed to make people hate each other. However, this has
been different this time because its effects have not spread across the
country. I am not talking about the external agents using the situation to
raise the level of militancy. People are concerned that this is the first
time that no party has actively expounded the victims view. However, I would
say that this has been a hallmark of politics from time eternity. The fact
is on a larger scale, people have started to think about a solution to the
problem--a persistent solution. This strongly suggest that in some time,
even people of Gujarat will come to senses. This might lead to an awakening
or may result in bringing about business as usual, with the Indira Mantra:
"Eliminate the poverty" again gaining prominence. The chances are little
that this would lead to Muslims over the country or the people from other
religions to get alienated from the whole. This, in fact, should come as a
wake up call to the minorities who have tried to keep them to themselves,
their own community. It is easy to rouse people against someone whom you
don't relate with. It is possible to do so even otherwise, but much more
difficult. The events as such tell us how we could guard ourselves against
the communal forces. I am not talking about acting similarly, but about
being together.

I say that it is not a beginning of another India or an end to India as we
know, but it could very well start a process of self discovery. A process to
define India and to lead it to that goal. To make a nation, it is pertinent
that it knows its identity in the first place. We have been taught too much
about the theme of unity in diversity. So much that we don't really know
what it means. Somehow, through this theme we have been lead to think that
it is alright to behave differently, to be different. No problem with that
as well, but the problem is that when people act differently, they start to
think differently towards the combine as well. Through this forced concept,
we have been denied the path to discover ourselves--as a whole and as a part
of it. It is about time we started a road to discover ourselves as a nation.
If we start being more active towards an India--a united India--we must
start to act on it. It has been too long living in a Hindu India being
scared of a Muslim India, and find that my friend, a Muslim, is afraid of
the Hindu India. Sometimes, it takes a warning for people to start to act.
This might make Gujarat a beginning in those terms. This just might be the
warning.

--Pankaj



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