Call Narendra Modi a communalist, a Hindu fundamentalist or a fascist and our intellectuals would joyfully agree. Clear him of charges of genocide and there will be proverbial snarls. Our intellectuals and secularists are so accustomed to accept the portrayal of Modi as a vicious Muslim-hater that when a report was submitted to the Gujarat Legislative Assembly clearing him of all charges of complicity in the post-Godhra riots cries of ?no, no!? could be heard in the editorial columns of our newspapers.
An example is The Indian Express (September 27). ?Compromised individuals and governments cannot set up commissions of enquiry and then expect the world to hail these as impartial and true?, the paper pontificated. The report in question was submitted by the one-man Nanavati Commission. It happens to contradict reports of a commission chaired by another judge UC Banerjee. If the Justice Banerjee report condemned the Gujarat government and Narendra Modi, the Justice Nanavati Commission, at least in the first of its two-part report has totally exonerated Modi and his government. As the Express put it: ?Both reports reflect a polarised society and it is clear that the Nanavati Commission has been selective and partisan in its findings as probably the hurriedly set-up Banerjee Committee.? Probably? Why probably? Justice Banerjee submitted his report hurriedly. Justice Nanavati has taken five years to submit his report. Can we call it ?hurriedly?? Justice Nanavati has named names.
The report says that the people who set fire to coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express bought 140 litres of petrol prior to its arrival at Godhra, this has never been challenged. What were those 140 litres of petrol meant for? To brew tea? To make hair oil? If Justice Nanavati were to say that the sun rises in the east in Gujarat, our secularists would demand that he provide evidence. The Times of India (September 27) also finds it hard to accept that there can be truth in Justice Nanavati'sreport. But to prove how secular it is the paper argues that ?even if the Nanavati Commission is correct?. that can'tbe taken to justify the days of carnage and breakdown of public order that followed?.
We all know that riots, killings, carnage, breakdown of public order should not happen. All of us condemn such things in full measure. And we should. The trouble is that barring our secularists who are saints?and they include editors as well?the rest of the people are sinners who have yet to learn how to conquer their shadvairies (the six enemies), namely, kama, krodha, lobha, moha, madha and matsarya.. The Express noted that politicians, meanwhile ?are having a good time at the expense of the people with Lalu Prasad Yadav using his enquiry to prove his secular credentials?.
Who is Lalu Prasad Yadav? The same politicians who has like that other Yadav, Mulayam Singh, given a certificate of good conduct to SIMI? And he still continues in the UPA government? What sort of government are we having at the Centre? On September 21, Karnataka'sChief Minister Yeddyurappa called on the Archbishop of Bangalore, Rev Bernard Moras. Apparently the Archbishop welcomed the Chief Minster ?in an unusual manner? which brought a strong criticism by Derrick MB Fullinfaw, a nominated MLA who told the press that the Archbishop has ?lowered the dignity ?of the Chief Minister. Shri Fullinfaw who represents the Anglo-Indian community in the Karnataka Assembly criticised the activities of the New Life Trust and accused it of misusing funds received from foreign sources. But how does The Hindu (September 26) describe his criticism of the Archbishop and others? The headline says: ?Fullinfaw fulminates against Moras?. The word is ?fulminates?. Fulminates? Meanwhile, it comes as a shock that an organisation called Citizens for Justice and Peace should petition the Supreme Court to restrain the Gujarat government from ?circulating, publishing and acting on the Nanavati Commission report?.
Obviously it is okay to damn the Modi government through a report provided by a Justice commissioned by Lalu Prasad. We live and learn. In the matter of religious conversions again, many of our newspapers are remarkably silent one suspects because criticising the Church would amount to supporting Hindutva. Not a single newspaper so far has made a deep study of how many Protestant missions are functioning in India, how many churches have been built in recent years and how many conversions have taken place. Interestingly, internet shows that one Amrita Singh has written a strong piece in The Times of India (September 7) exposing the doings of missionaries. Amrita Singh is quoted as saying: ?One of the most effective church planting agencies working in India is the US-based AD 2000 and Beyond Movement. It is impressively organised, having mapped the whole of India by caste and identifying those most likely to be receptive to their message.? AD 2000 lists nine Indian tribes as Priority I, because they are so poor and deemed most likely to convert. The names of the nine tribes are enumerated. And there is more of this kind. Is the UPA government aware of all this? Is it taking any measure to handle large-scale invasion of evangelists into India?
Does anyone know how much money is pouring in, how much is distributed and how many conversions take place? According to Amrita Singh, a forecast made by the World Religious Council plans to increase the Christian population to 125 million by the year 2050. The present population is 25 million. Maybe the World Council is exaggerating. Maybe it is all a joke. But equally maybe, it is all true. Is this permissible? Or is the UPA government going to tell us that the Constitution clearly lays down that propagation is permissible under the Constitution and if anybody wants to change his religion of his own free will he is free to do so?
We need some clarification here. Christian churches?especially Protestant churches?are hell bent on conversions on a large scale. Our secularists will say that is all very well. We are heading for trouble. Churches will be attacked and all Hindus will be blamed. Our Constitution is used to damn us and that is the worst part of it all. It doesn'thelp to be idealistic which our constitution-makers were. What is being planned by the evangelists is ?a silent invasion? entirely within the law. Poor people are literally ?bought?, not forced, to become Christians. And isn'tthat within the law? How dare anybody doubt it? One suspects that all this activity has the benevolent approval of the president of the Congress?secular?party.
