You are on page 1of 1

9 Aug 2003, 2350 hrs IST, Rajesh Ramachandran, TNN

Cong silent on cadres linked to Guj riots


NEW DELHI: The Congress has been going to town over Best Bakery and other instances of the Narendra Modi
government's complicity in the anti-Muslim violence which shook Gujarat last year.
But when it comes to the involvement of its own party cadre in the killings, 10 Janpath maintains a deafening
silence. Even when confronted by a long-standing ally from the freedom movement days,
the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.
According to the JUH, "most Congress corporators" and some Congress leaders of Gujarat
had actively participated in last year's riots.
Mahmood As'ad Madani, JUH general secretary told The Times of India: "We wrote letters to
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, gave a list of Congress leaders involved in the riots, asked her to
take action against them but to no avail."
On April 29, 2002, for example, the JUH received a list of 25 Congress leaders from its Gujarat chapter, which
was promptly forwarded to her. This included a former Congress minister, a sitting MLA and a former MP.
Then on August 20, Madani reminded Gandhi: "Similarly our appeal forwarded to you in respect of
involvement of Congress MLAs, corporators and workers in Gujarat carnage along with the list of
culpable names remains disregarded."
When contacted by TOI, Ambika Soni, in-charge of Gandhi's office, said she was not aware of the correspondence.
Ahmed Patel, Gandhi's political secretary, to whom copies were marked by the JUH, was not available for
Comment.
The JUH insists it had accurate information from the ground. For instance, its Gujarat branch
had written to the police commissioner of Vadodara city on March 21 that, "After the Godhra
incident an urgent meeting of the activists of the BJP, VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal was held
under the leadership of Yogesh Patel (MLA)... Chinnam Gandhi (Congress corporator)...
They had alloted the activists their jobs, they made a plan and instructed the activists to
carry out this work without any fear and told them that they would get full support of
police officers."
The Gujarat JUH had mapped the Congress leadership even at the district level. Mehsana and
Patan districts' list has 8 names of Congress leaders including local MP Atmaram Patel as having played a
"negative role." A fax message sent on May 1 from Mehsana has this against Patel's coloumn: "Still has not
come to help Muslims; taking sides in favour of a criminal person of Sardarpur and Ladoi village."
A list of 15 from Anand is headed by a secretary of Gujarat youth Congress. But to be fair to the Congress and
the JUH, the report is all praise for the "positive role" played by Patan MP Pravin Rashtrapal.
JUH secretary N A Farooqui says: "The Congress has committed sins of omission and commission
during the riots. Former MP Ehsan Jaffri had called up Sonia Gandhi for help. She didn't take a strong stand
in her subsequent visit to Gujarat. The local bodies were mostly headed by the Congress which could
have done a lot for relief and rehabilitation, but it was all left to the NGOs."
Though Farooqui maintains that the JUH "has not severed its relationship" with the Congress, the party's
ambivalence has led to debates within the Muslim intelligentsia over which political formation is best placed to
defend the country from the danger of communal division

FORUM OF WHISTLE - BLOWERS OF INDIA


President: Dr.R.K.D.Goel, Akashdeep Soc., b/h Akaswani, Makarpura Rd. Vadodara - 390 009 Ph: 2647677 E-mail: rkdgoel@aol.com
To: - Dated 12.04.2009
1. Mr. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat
2. Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Hon. President of Congress and UPA
3. Mr. Rajnath Singh, Hon. President of Bharitya Janta Party
4. Mr. L.K.Advani, Hon. BJP opposition leader of Parliament.

Please read above Times of India report dated 09.08.2003 about the role of Congress leaders of
Gujarat in “Post Godhra Genocide of Muslims in Gujarat.”
Through out the World all are only naming the Saffron Parivar and defaming Mr. Narendra Modi for the
genocide of Muslims in 2002 post Godhra riots.
I am residing in South Vadodara area where out of 21 VMC Councillors 20 were from Congress party.
I have seen that post Godhra riots were a reaction in which Middle Class Hindus and tribal irrespective
of caste / religion all were involved. In South Vadodara area Congress leaders were more involve. I
have seen the Slum dwellers under Mr. Chinnam Gandhi, a congress VMC councillor role.

Dr.R.K.D.Goel

You might also like