M A I L B A G

A nightmare of religious insanity

Apropos of Mr H.K. Dua’s article “It’s Modi versus Rule of Law” (Sept 17), truth has to be told and every evil, if ignored, doesn’t have the tendency to die its own death. It is a strange paradox that Gujarat is the state which can legitimately feel proud of being the birth place of an apocalyptic Man of Peace. Gujarat also has the credit of monsterising a sacred sentiment called religion.

Godhara and Best Bakery will turn India’s contemporary history into a nightmare of religious insanity. Raj Dharma is a tune absolute unknown to ears attuned to communalism, parochialism and criminalism. If Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is somebody’s idealised and idolised hero, one can only guess what is more to come out of this mad obsession with religion.

The worthy Supreme Court has rightly indicted Mr Modi but again it goes to his credit that no amount of moralising can stir his soul which lies dormant, bricked alive under political ambition. Posterity will never forgive him for Modifying Gujarat. The BJP will do well to realise the paradoxical nature of the process of Modification of India. Mr Modi may be a big BJP hero and a great success in Gujarat, but he is a national disaster and unless the BJP distances itself from this limited success, it is going to taste defeat at the hustings.

Ram Krishan Shastri, Patiala

II

I endorse Mr H.K. Dua’s view that Mr Narendra Modi is impervious to reason and has no respect for the Rule of Law (Sept 17). The Godhra incident was distressing. But there was no justification in ruthlessly killing the innocent people, who had nothing to do with that holocaust. Instead of creating a sense of security and confidence among the people, the hoodlums were given a free hand to indulge in bestial violence for weeks together. Mr Modi's haughty indifference was worse than that shown by the notoriously cruel emperor Nero, who played on his fiddle when Rome was burning.

The then Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Mr Justice J.S. Verma has strongly indicted the Modi government. Instead of feeling the qualms of his failure to prevent the gory developments, Mr Modi performed a "Gaurva Yatra" and made derogatory and inflammatory remarks against the riot-hit people.

Now the Supreme Court has severely indicted the Modi government in the Best Bakery case where 14 people were burnt alive. Yet Mr Modi is sticking to the chief ministerial chair like a limpet. Is there no law to book him for not protecting the citizens and prosecuting the guilty?

Bhagwan Singh, Qadian

III

Mr H.K. Dua’s article “It’s Modi vs Rule of Law” (Sept 17) suggests that the common man shudders to think of the character and moral of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Modi should have resigned after Godhra, but he didn't. It isn’t Mr Modi’s nature to show respect for democracy. How shocked are our protectors of law when nobody listens to them?

Bakhshish Singh, Jalandhar

IV

Every religion-loving person will agree with Mr H.K. Dua’s observations that Mr Modi is a strange kind of Chief Minister who has thrown up all democratic values. Mr Dua has exposed in length the way Raj Dharma is being abused by Mr Modi. As India is a secular state, it was the duty of Mr Modi to protect every citizen of Gujarat irrespective of caste, creed or religion. But he failed to think of his accountability to people.

R. S. Hamdard, Hamirpur

V

This has reference to Mr H.K. Dua's article (Sept 17). Though Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called the Gujarat riots a national shame, he had to lie low against the Sangh Parivar’s line of thinking for narrow electoral gains. That the outcome of elections was related to the surcharged atmosphere in Gujarat was soon proved by the drubbing the BJP received in Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.

Brig H. S. Sandhu (retd), Panchkula

VI

Mr H.K. Dua’s article reminds me of the words of Mr Bertrand Russel: “The government can easily exist without law but the law cannot exist without the government”. I am sure, Mr Narendra Modi must have been guided by this philosophy, overlooking the fact that that the law of the land is always higher than the people’s court which all corrupt politicians so often refer to.

There goes the proverb, “For the form of government let fools contend, the one that administers best is best”. It is for our poet-Prime Minister to politically assess if the Gujarat government is best administered. But being the Prime Minister of the NDA government, can Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee make Mr Modi resign?

Multan Singh Parihar, Jalari-Hamirpur (HP)

VII

This refers to Mr H.K. Dua’s article “It’s Modi vs Rule of Law”. Raj Dharma is part of Hindu Dharma and Mr Modi, being a true Hindu, understands Raj Dharma far better than others and has followed it also. Otherwise, so many Hindus would not have been killed in the police firing in Gujarat. Modi haters should also explain what type of Raj Dharma is taught in Islam and Christianity?

Anand Prakash, Panchkula

VIII

The Gujarat government’s appeal against the acquittal of the Best Bakery accused is an eye wash. According to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice V.N. Khare, Mr Narendra Modi should quit on moral grounds. Instead, he said that he was elected by the people and further added that there is no question of his resignation. Had someone else been in his place, he would have quit recognising his moral values and the value of the rule of law. Amazingly, the BJP high command is shielding Mr Modi. Such people should not be elected to representative institutions.

Bansi Ram, Chakhajipur (Hoshiarpur)