Modi and 2002

By Shashi Shekhar
One of the longest enduring media myths in India has been this so-called silence of Narendra Modi on
the terrible events of February 2002. For more than a decade no this myth has been sustained by the
very same media houses and columnists that the !u"arat #hief Minister s$ent time conversing ith on
the events of February 2002 on multi$le occasions over the last %0 years. &he multi$le comments by
Narendra Modi on the 2002 riots made over the years' starting from February of 2002 till as recently as
(uly of 20%)' hen vieed together in their totality' tell a story that needs to be told and retold given the
manner in hich this myth has been sustained.
* fair and dis$assionate reconstruction of Modis comments on the events of February 2002 must begin
from February 2+' 2002 hen coach ,-- of ,abarmati ./$ress as set abla0e at !odhra' leading to
the deaths of more than 12 3ar seva3s returning from *yodhya. It ould be instructive to note that the
#hief Ministers remar3s hile describing the incident at !odhra neither referred to any one community
nor singled out any religion. *n .nglish translation of the official 4ress release in !u"arati from the #hief
Ministers Office on February 2+' 2002 described the incident as inhuman and as an act of mass
violence. It is significant to note that the incident as not given a communal colour and as not
described as a communal incident that targeted any one religion or community.
Modis $ersonal a$$eal made via 5oordarshan at + $m on the evening of February 22' 2002 is no one
of the most atched videos on 6ou&ube. In this video' hich is about si/ minutes long' one sees a
distraught Modi ma3ing a sincere a$$eal for $eace. In his a$$eal he tells the $eo$le of !u"arat that he
shared their grief and that the solution to the !odhra arson did not lie in violence' lac3 of restraint or in
venting of anger. 7e is also seen telling them ith folded hands that this is the time for maintaining
$eace. Most significantly his a$$eal called u$on the $eo$le to strengthen the rule of la hile
reminding them that the res$onsibility for maintaining $eace also rested on them. Far from the 8action-
reaction9 myth that has been in circulation for many years no' Modis February 22' 2002 a$$eal on
5oordarshan cautioned the $eo$le of !u"arat about 8hatred begetting more hatred9.
&he !u"arat *ssembly' hich as in session during February and March of 2002 for its annual :udget
session' also sa Modi ma3e strong statements on ho he felt about the events of February 2002.
,$ea3ing in the *ssembly during the first ee3 of March 2002' Modi called for soul-searching over the
riots of the $ast fe days. 5escribing the riots as a stigma on humanity he asserted that nobody could
hold their heads high over hat had ha$$ened in !u"arat.
*n oft-re$eated charge against Modis $ublic utterances during that $eriod as that he did not reassure
the minority community. &his is far from the truth. On March %2' 2002 the (anmabhoomi' a !u"arati
$ublication' carried Modis res$onse to a ;uestion on reassuring the Muslim community. &his as also
carried by the 7industan &imes on March %2 and in that re$ort Modi is ;uoted as saying that the Muslim
community had his $ersonal assurance on their safety and social harmony. 7e is also ;uoted as saying
that his !overnment re$resented all !u"aratis irres$ective of religion and thus belonged as much to the
Muslim community as it belonged to the 7indu community.
*ll through March of 2002 one sees several instances of Modi s$ea3ing in $ublic' both e/$ressing
regret over the violence and at the same time a$$ealing to the $eo$le to u$hold the rule of la. * 4ress
release from March 2 has him a$$ealing for $eace< a meeting ith civil society on March - sa him
s$ea3 against retributive violence< the March %2 re$ort in (anmabhoomi also sa him s$ea3 on
u$holding the rule of la< and' a 4ress release on March 22 had him describing the rioters as enemies
of society.
5raing attention to the fact that students had to a$$ear for e/ams' on March ) the !u"arat ,amachar
re$orted his call for $eace hile a 4ress release on March %= sa him cautioning $eo$le against
reacting to rumours. >ast' though not the least' his a$$eal to the media on March % is orthy of mention
for he called u$on them to e/ercise e/treme caution in their re$ortage. &he ,andesh' a !u"arati
$ublication' also carried multi$le re$orts through March of 2002 on Modis a$$eals on ho those
indulging in violence ould not be s$ared.
On March %' 2002 Modi s$o3e to ,udhir #houdhary of ?.. Nes in !andhinagar. 7is remar3s in 7indi
have been distorted and $ro$agated as a media myth for many years no. @hile Modi s$o3e about
brea3ing the s$iral of violence' the &imes of India on March )' 2002 distorted it as his ;uoting Netons
third la to "ustify violence. &his distortion that has ta3en a life of its on for more than a decade best
e/em$lifies ho the media has sustained myths around Modis comments on 2002 all these years.
*nother enduring media myth is the alleged manner in hich Modi is said to have e/$loited the events
of 2002 for $olitical gain by trying to advance the *ssembly election. It is im$ortant to note Narendra
Modis intervie to Aday Mahur3ar of India &oday on *$ril 2B' 2002. &his intervie is significant for to
reasons. In this intervie Modi for the first time says that his !overnment tried to ;uell the riots to the
best of its abilityC
My !overnment $erformed its duty to the best of its ability. .ven your maga0ine says that
the !u"arat 4olice saved the lives of 2'100 Muslims at ,an"eli on March %. &hey also saved
thousands of Muslims in the first three days and brought the situation under control in +2
hours. Nearly %=0 $eo$le have been 3illed in $olice firing' the highest ever in !u"arat' and
2+'000 $eo$le have been arrested' hich too is the highest ever.
&he intervie is also significant for in it Modi ma3es it clear that he as not interested in $ressing for
early $olls. Modis remar3s to Aday Mahur3ar stand in star3 contrast to the comments #ongress
$resident ,onia !andhi made a fe days later in May 2002 hen she $rovocatively described !u"arat
as 8!odses !u"arat9 hile s$ea3ing at 4orbandar. * cou$le of ee3s later' senior #ongress leader and
general secretary Damal Nath s$ea3ing in *hmedabad on May 20' 2002 declared that it as the
#ongress that anted early election in !u"arat.
&he N#E-based media houses have been $articularly harsh on Modi over the years ith their re$eated
charge on his so-called silence on the 2002 riots. &he Indian ./$ress under ,he3har !u$ta must be
singled out for the number of times its editorial des3 re$eated this false line on this so-called silence of
Modi in addressing the events of 2002 for in *$ril of 200= Modi did more than "ust tal3' he had in fact
@al3ed the &al3 ith ,he3har !u$ta during his hour-long $rogramme for N5&F.
Interestingly the Indian ./$ress had also carried a re$ort on *$ril %0 on ,he3har !u$tas intervie ith
Narendra Modi titled a Eare #onfession G Eiots a burden I have to carry all my life' says Modi. &he
conversation beteen ,he3har !u$ta and Modi is riveting for it gets fairly $ointed and $ersonal. In
res$onse to a ;uestion' Modi not "ust s$ea3s about having to carry the burden of the riots all his life' he
also says that he being the #hief Minister could hardly distance himself from the horror of 2002. In the
same intervie Modi also laments ho any utterances by him on his $ersonal feelings for victims had
been distorted by the media over the years. It is thus strange that the Indian ./$ress should run
editorials in 20%0and again in 20%) on Modis silence hen its on #hief .ditor got to discuss the 2002
riots at length ith Modi bac3 in 200=.
@hile a$$earing on ,eedhi :aat' a sho on the 7indi nes channel *a" &a3' Modi on *$ril %%' 2001
once again e/$ressed regret for the 2002 riots' saying that nobody could be $roud of the riots and that
such riots had no $lace in a civilised society. In the same intervie Modi ma3es an im$ortant $oint on
ho the ,e$tember 2002 terrorist attac3 on *3shardham tem$le in !andhinagar did not result in any
$rovocation or retributive violence. &his is significant for Narendra Modis sincere a$$eal once again on
5oordarshan made after the *3shardham attac3 came for $raise by $rominent Muslim "ournalist ,ultan
,haheen riting in *sia &imes Online in October of 2002.
&hose ho sa Modis a$$eal on television could see the sincerity of his move rit large
on his face and concluded that !u"arat as going to remain $eaceful des$ite the
$rovocative remar3s being made by other hardline 7indu leaders.
In February of 200B Modi s$o3e e/tensively to ,hyam 4are3h of the 5N* on the global economic crisis
and the $olitical scenario in India. In that intervie 4are3h $osed the ;uestion to Modi on hether he
ould admit he made mista3es in the handling of the 2002 riot. In res$onse to that ;uestion here is
hat Modi had to sayC
If I have intentionally made a mista3e' I should not be s$ared and must be $unished. My
statement is one ste$ ahead. &here should be no forgiveness if something has been done
intentionally. :ut if it is unintentional' then' as I have said so many times' I am also human
and I can also ma3e mista3es. :ut I ill never do anything ith mala fide intent. I have
been saying this since 2002' but since I am not Obama' you dont $ublish it.
&he most em$hatic and direct comments by Modi on the events of 2002 come in March 20%0 hen
:ollyood icon *mitabh :achchan found himself in the middle of a $olitical firestorm over his decision
to $romote !u"arat &ourism by a$$earing in !u"arat !overnment advertisements. @riting in his blog on
March )0' 20%0' Modi had this to sayC
&he #ongress has as3ed ,hri *mitabh :achchan"i hether he o$$oses !u"arat riots or
notH
Friends' Modi himself has o$$osed the riots and still does. .very citi0en must o$$ose riots.
* cou$le of days earlier' on March 2+-22' 20%0 Modi as #hief Minister had done something
un$recedented in $ost-inde$endence India. For more than nine hours' Modi de$osed before the
,u$reme #ourt a$$ointed ,$ecial Investigation &eam' or ,I&' to discuss the events of February 2002'
including his role' his $ublic comments and the conduct of his !overnment. &he full transcri$t of Modis
,I& de$osition is the only authoritative recounting of that $eriod to date hen read alongside the
closure re$ort subse;uently filed by the ,I& in May 20%2.
.ver since that combative blog of March )0' 20%0 one sees mar3ed contrition in Modis $ublic remar3s
as he ent on to see3 forgiveness on multi$le occasions from the $eo$le of !u"arat. In *ugust 20%%
Modi riting in his blog sought forgiveness for any $ast mista3es. In ,e$tember 20%%' on the eve of his
,adbhavana fast' Modi riting in an O$en >etter once again sought forgiveness hile ac3noledging
that he shared the $ain of all !u"aratis over the incidents of 2002.
&he most direct $ublic engagement beteen Modi and the Muslim community on the sub"ect of the
2002 riots ha$$ened in (uly 20%2 hen noted Ardu "ournalist and editor of the Ardu ee3ly Nai 5uniya
,hahid ,iddi;ui s$o3e e/tensively ith Narendra Modi.
&he intervie ith ,hahid ,iddi;ui as neither a one-off instance of engagement nor a one-off
conversation. &his riter is aare of a riveting story of a young Muslim student from :ihar see3ing time
from Modi to understand the truth about 2002. &hat $rivate conversation ill have to ait for another
day to be told.
*s I $en don this concluding $aragra$h the ord count has crossed more than 2'000 ords. &he
media' as has been its ont for over a decade' once again in (uly of 20%) distorted Modis remar3s to
Eeutershere he had merely em$hasised that as a human he also suffered the $ain of the victims of
2002' albeit using an a3ard meta$hor.
&he medias many distortions and lies notithstanding' the truth is that even a 2%00-ord article is
inade;uate to accurately and fully recount all that Narendra Modi has said and felt on the terrible events
of February 2002.
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