 |
|
Election Commission Chief, JM Lyngdoh
|
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, November 15 (IslamOnline) - Wary of the incendiary gimmicks of
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Election Commission of India has
banned a proposed "pride march" by the organization from
November 15 to December 6 through communally-sensitive areas of the
western state of Gujarat.
Fresh
from a visit to Gujarat, the state that witnessed a two-month long
anti-Muslim carnage earlier this year, the commission said Wednesday,
November 13, that the situation was still "nasty" there.
The
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (Indian for World Hindu Council) has been known
for its obsession with Muslims and Islam, and for consistently trying
to harm them. The proposed pride march was to begin from Godhra
railway station and end at Akshardham temple, both in Gujarat.
The
VHP pride rests on having taught Muslims a lesson during the two-month
long pogrom with the help of the police and some ministers in the
government earlier this year. Even Chief Minister Narendra Modi is
seen to be involved in the carnage, according to victims and
independent enquiries.
The
starting and terminating point of the proposed march — Godhra and
Akshardham — are significant for their potential to provoke
anti-Muslim rage among majority Hindus. At Godhra a rail car was burnt
down February 27 this year allegedly by a mob of angry Muslims.
Fifty-seven Hindu pilgrims trapped inside the car perished, which
unleashed the anti-Muslim pogrom.
The
terminating point of the march, the Akshardham Temple in the state
capital Ahmedabad, witnessed a revenge attack September 25 by two
young Muslim men who killed 40 Hindu worshippers before being killed
by special forces commandos.
A
letter recovered from the pocket of one of the attackers said they
were taking revenge for the death of hundreds of Muslims, rape of
scores of women and destruction of property by state supported Hindu
mobs.
As
if these were not enough to provoke anti-Muslim hysteria, the leaders
of the march were to travel all along the route in a vehicle which was
a replica of the burnt rail car at Godhra. To add more fuel to the
anti-Muslim fire, the march was to end December 6, another day laden
with anti-Muslim significance.
On
December 6, 1992, a crazed Hindu mob led by leaders of sister
organizations of VHP — BJP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal — demolished
the more than four-century old Babari Masjid in the northern town of
Ayodhya, killed each and every Muslim found in the city, and set fire
to their homes.
As
the mob went on a murderous rampage, the leaders including present
Deputy Prime Minister of India and senior ministers in the cabinet
watched as cheer leaders. The mob also destroyed 28 other mosques and
mausolea of Muslim saints that day in Ayodhya.
The
VHP (along with other sister organizations) will observe December 6 as
Victory Day – victory against Muslims. The potential mischief of
this program forced the Election Commission to stop it.
The
EC directed the state government to take "preventive and punitive
action" to prevent the march, which has all the "likelihood
of communally provocative and intemperate speeches being made."
The
Bharatiya Janata Party which rules the state is a sister organization
of the VHP, which makes compliance with Election Commission’s order
a little problematic. However, the constitutional clout of the EC
would force the state government to comply ultimately, even though the
government is hostile.
Chief
Minister Narendra Modi himself has been conducting a similar march
through the state for the last several days. This pride march too has
been replete with anti-Muslim symbolism and slanderous speeches.
For
days it was expected that the EC would be forced to respond.
Meanwhile, VHP leaders have said they would defy the EC and stage the
march. Thanks to the anti- Muslim sentiment stirred by Hindu
nationalist groups, Gujarat is today sitting atop a volcano of
religious hatred that could burst any moment.
The
motive behind the VHP-BJP brinkmanship is to create a permanent
division between Hindus and Muslims and get a majority of Hindus to
vote for the “pro-Hindu” BJP.
|
|
Iraq:
- First U.N. Weapons Inspections in Iraq Nov 27: Blix
- Straw Blames British Imperialism for Middle East Woes
- Iraq Ready for Inspectors, Skeptical Washington Waylays
- Iraqi Opposition Delays Anti-Saddam Meet For “Technical Reasons”
- Iraqi Press Snubs MPs’ Rejection of U.N. Resolution 1441
Ramadan
-
New Muslims Enjoy Peace, Serenity
of Ramadan Fast
-
Ramadan in Malaysia Good for Business
-
“Sharon” Dates &
“Intifada” Ramadan Lamps in Egypt
-
Muslims Need Strong Soup to
Survive Fasting in Cold Russia
- Thousands At Mashhur's Funeral Amid Tight Security
- Indian Poll Panel Stops Anti-Muslim "Pride March"
- Snowy Taraweeh for Muslims in Sweden
- Sezer to Name PM Shortly, Says Erdogan
- Hu Becomes China's New Chief, Surrounded By Jiang Allies
- U.S. Executes Kasi for Killing CIA Agents, Brother Hails Him Martyr
- Indonesians Indirect Victims of Terrorism: Analysts
- Kremlin Imposes Restrictions On Anti-Terrorist Media Coverage
- Horse Trading Continues in Pakistan for Forming A Government
-
U.S. Nationality
Halal, Boycotting Jewish Products Obligatory: Tantawi
-
Pentagon Plans A
Computer System to Peek at Personal Data
-
50% of Britons
Believe Blair is Bush's Lapdog: Poll
-
Muslim Brotherhood
Guide-General Passes Away
-
Palestine:
- 11 Israeli Settlers, Soldiers Killed, 15 Wounded in A Resistance Attack
- Israel Slays Palestinian Children: New York Times
- Fatah Says It Approves Ceasefire Plan, Hamas Denies
- Israel Kills Two Palestinians, Abducts 35 in Nablus
- Sharon Considers Palestinian State An Established Fact
- Palestinian Baby Killed by
Israeli Tank Fire in Rafah
- Resistance, Unity Basis to End
Occupation: Fatah, Hamas
-
Chechen
War Reaches Moscow
-
World
Wide War
-
Invasion
into Gaza
-
Arafat
HQ Destroyed… In Pictures
-
Homeless in Minutes
-
War on Iraq.. World Reaction
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
