NEW DELHI, 2 May 2003 — The grand celebrations planned by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate Gaurav Divas yesterday to mark 43 years of the state’s existence did not evoke a grand response from the people at large.
The memory of last year’s anti-Muslim carnage remains fresh in people’s minds, with thousands hit by the riots still awaiting compensation from the government, and the majority of those responsible for the carnage having got away scot-free.
The communal schism pervading the politico-social atmosphere in Gujarat was exposed on the eve of the Gujarat Day celebration.
According to reports, riots broke out in Vadodara the very evening Modi inaugurated the grand celebrations at the Surasagar Lake. Tension prevailed in the Navayard area of Vadodara following the alleged kidnapping and killing of a Muslim youth on Wednesday evening.
With secularism still overshadowed by communal riots, one wonders what achievement Modi is trying to glorify. Even BJP hard-liners like Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani were compelled to regard the Gujarat carnage as a “blot” on India’s reputation.
Film actress and social activist Shabana Azmi drew attention to the government’s bias in differentiating between the rioters of Godhra and Ahmedabad on communal lines. She said that while alleged Godhra criminals were arrested under the anti-terrorism law (POTA) there was not a single such case registered in Ahmedabad. “Anyone who ignites communal disharmony and indulges in violence should be punished, and the setting up of the enquiry commission should be speeded up to allow quick handling of cases,” she said while addressing a gathering in Jaipur.
Even Gujarat Hindus did not respond positively to Modi’s style of celebration. About 10,000 staged hunger strikes yesterday outside the district office of Surendranagar, 150 km from the state capital Gandhinagar.
“The Surendranagar town and district have been facing a water crisis for several months. We have made many representations before the district chief and local legislators, but to no avail,” one of the protesters said. “We will not budge from our stand till the authorities solve our town’s drinking water problem,” another protester said.
Criticizing the ceremony, Hasmukh Patel, the state general secretary of the main opposition Congress party said, “It is inhuman on the government’s part to waste so much water when the state is facing an acute water crisis.”
Nearly 43,000 wax lamps were floated on Sursagar Lake — 1,000 lamps for each year of Gujarat’s existence as a separate state.
Environmentalists voiced the fear that heat generated by 43,000 lamps may affect the marine life in the lake. Gunvant Oza of the International Society of Naturalists said: “The authorities seem to be least concerned about this.”
The government chose to display little concern for the protesters’ complaint. “Just because there’s a drought, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate. Even today the water supply to Kachch has been maintained. And if we didn’t have the money we wouldn’t celebrate. Anyway, not a lot of money has been spent on the celebrations,” said Anandi Patel, a government minister.
Independent sources, however, point out that the celebrations have cost the government at least 10 million rupees.
What was officially celebrated as Gaurav Divas was marked as a black day by tribespeople in the state. About 300 people belonging to various tribes in 10 districts of Gujarat said they had little reason to celebrate. “This is not a Gaurav Divas for tribespeople like us: the forest department has snatched our land and they didn’t give us anything in return. For us it is a black day,” said Vajabhai Athiabhai, a resident of Achada village.
With the life in the riot-ravaged state further devastated by drought, the birthday bash at the state’s expense carried little appeal for the common Gujarati. Not surprisingly, the Congress party decided to exploit the occasion by expressing its protest through a rally in Gandhinagar.
Modi’s propaganda drive also failed to cut much ice in diplomatic circles. Earlier this week, the majority of diplomats chose to stay away from a luncheon hosted by Modi in the capital city. A diplomat said his mission did not want to be “seen with them.”
Another said, “Our ambassador had another engagement, but I don’t think he would have gone in any case.”
