PUNE, 26 July 2006 — The eminent journalist and social activist, Teesta Setalvad, claimed at a public meeting here yesterday that Muslims in India were being discriminated against due to a sense of “institutional prejudice.”
Speaking at an anti-terrorism unity conference organized by the National Muslim Front and “We Are Indians” organizations, Teesta said that it was a difficult time for Muslims. Launching a frontal attack on the political parties, she said, “The political parties that claim to be ‘secular’ have failed to counter terrorism. They don’t want to initiate any move in this battle against injustice. But in fact, the political parties are playing opportunistic politics.”
Teesta continued, “Politicization of the terrorist acts like 7/11 will make minorities feel insecure and inferior. And this is how internal terrorism functions in India, which is as dreadful as external terrorism.” Elaborating on the issue she said “institutionalized prejudice” on a government level is the killer factor for the Muslim community’s spirit in the country. “To remove this prejudice, we need to stand together without any political party’s support,” Teesta added.
Teesta pointed out that there has to be a rational debate and interaction between the government and the Muslim community to tackle institutionalized prejudice against them. “We have to approach them for equal rights in education, employment, justice and the fundamental right of life,” she said.
Commenting on the outbursts made by Hindu fanatics that Muslim students were turning to madrasas for education, Teesta said that this was happening in some states only because the government was not providing schools for them and added that if there were enough opportunities for them, the Muslim students would only go to the madrasas only for religious education.
Recalling the serial bomb blasts in Bombay on July 17, Teesta said that people who helped in rescuing the blast victims came from various communities. Taking the Congress-led Democratic Front government in Maharashtra to task, the fiery journalist who played a key role in Gujarat’s Best Bakery case, called the secular policies of the government “doubtful,” and questioned the state government’s decision to allow the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to address a public rally in Bombay.
Challenging Modi’s moral right to make statements combating terrorism in Bombay, Teesta asked, “When the riots in Gujarat — which were described as state-sponsored genocide something which in itself is a type of terrorism — took place under his government, how can he speak on the issue,” Teesta asked.
In another political development, Nitin Gadkari, the state unit president of BJP, said that Bombay has turned into Srinagar. Addressing a press conference, Gadkari blasted the state government and said that the Congress-NCP alliance claim of transforming the commercial capital Bombay into a Shanghai has turned out to be a farce.
Saying that all Muslims are not terrorists, Gadkari asked as to why all terrorists happen to be Muslims, emphasizing strict action against established terrorists groups, who he claimed were responsible for most acts of terror.
