Don’t cry foul over Modi, so easily!
This opinion article seems to be biased (‘Five reasons why Modi should not be crowned the ‘King of Hindustan’, Gulf News, April 3). I am no fan of Narendra Modi - the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate, but I do want to be rid of the Congress government at the centre. I just don’t understand why the Indian media turns a blind eye to similar riots [Modi was held accountable for communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 but was cleared of complicity by the Indian Supreme Court in 2012] that have taken place over the past few decades. At least, you have to agree that some justice has been done and hundreds of people have been convicted, including some of the most senior officials and a cabinet minister. The Gulf News comment mentions Zakia Jafri, but the writer easily ignores the fact that Jafri has changed her testimony in the courts several times over the years. Now, the verdict has gone against her, so we have Gulf News writers like Bobby Naqvi crying foul. For 12 plus years, people have carried this agenda against Modi and their sole aim is to create fear. Probably, one should ask the Muslims of Gujarat. Most of them would say that they’re happy with Modi’s performance as chief minister, as they, too, have benefited from the economic progress. It’s very convenient for critics to blame Modi for what happened in 2002. They wouldn’t respond openly if you were to ask them if they hold Rajiv Gandhi accountable for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, or Akhilesh Yadav more recently for the 2014 Muzaffarnagar riots. Is this not hypocrisy? I have a message to my fellow Muslim friends. Get out of this mind-set. Move on from 2002!
From Mr Ashraf
Dubai
Website comment
Anti-minority
Modi has already proposed strict laws against innocent Muslims. People have no idea of his evil plans for the minorities. Development is just the shining coin, he is holding a stick and will hit people right between their eyes before they even realise it. It is extremely dangerous for a communal person to be the head of the world’s biggest democracy. This article in particular has explained the hidden agenda behind Modi’s clean chit. He has played with the system and will do it more if he becomes the ‘King of Hindustan’.
From Mr Mohammad Hussain
UAE
Lopsided perspective?
People really have to view things in totality rather than focusing one only one aspect. Since many more riots have happened in India like the anti-Sikh one in 1984, where till date, no one has been truly held accountable, but still people keep quiet on it. Whereas they cry foul over the man who has changed the meaning of development and started delivering rather than just making empty promises at election after election.
From Mr Amit
UAE
Taking India forward
I sincerely believe the writer of this article is misinformed given the fact that Modi has been cleared of all charges in the 2002 riots. He is the only one who has the fortitude to take India to its rightful place.
From Mr Raj
New Delhi, India
Death of innocents
Shame on all who support Modi and use as an excuse all the other riots that occurred in India. Killing an innocent is the worst crime, this is the point that should be considered first rather than development issues. Building factories and high-rise buildings on the graves of innocent people is no development, especially in a secular country like India. So, whoever speaks of development in the name of killings should first think how it feels being a member of that family. Take your time, sit in a calm place and imagine your mothers, sisters, children being treated the same way the others were treated in the Gujarat riots. Also, please do view the videos of Babu Bajrangi [leader of the Gujarat wing of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist organisation, convicted for his role in the riots] and other Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) people [right-wing Hindi nationalist group], then speak about development. Raising a voice against injustice is not being biased but is called standing up for humanity. Please don’t dream of a beautiful house standing on the graves of innocent people.
From Mr Sadiq Khan
Dubai
Modi offers hope
This was a very biased article. I did not expect this from Gulf News. It’s up to the citizens of India to decide who did what. India needs a change and there is a lot of hope on Modi. India was secular and will be secular.
From Mr Sid
UAE
Website comment
A real leader
Modi may have seen some unfortunate riots happening during the initial part of his reign, and the Supreme Court did give him a clean chit. However, the fact of the matter is that the best apology is in never repeating a mistake. And while before and after 2002, we have seen many riots taking place all around India, we haven’t seen another one in Gujarat! If that’s what Modi believes in and commits himself to, then we have a real man who believes in amending his mistakes instead of forwarding pretentious apologies. Who does the writer think he is? Is he above the law to throw accusations at a man who has been cleared by the Indian Supreme Court?
From Mr Ashwin Amin
India
Facebook comment
Taking care of himself
You never saw another riot in Gujarat because Modi was aware of the fact that he was not going to get another ‘clean chit’ if he repeated it.
From Mr Alam J.
UAE
Facebook comment
Fair journalism
So, we should believe that the people in Gujarat committed suicide? Is that the fact we should believe? Readers shouldn’t challenge unbiased international press reports because they’re not to their liking. We readers cannot be fooled by anybody.
Vijayakrishnan Nair
Dubai
Facebook comment
India knows the truth
About Modi, the Indian elections will be the judge of whether he is the right person to take the prime ministerial position or not depending on the people voting. We will see the truth. What he did with the people in India (mainly Gujarat), no one can destroy that history about Modi and the world knows about him.
From Mr Nowfar
Dubai
Full name withheld by request
Live and let live
India is a country that allows every person to follow his or her own religion. Live and let others live peacefully - this is the reality.
From Mr Mukesh Yadav
Facebook comment
Secular future in question
I know how the situation in Bangalore and Jaipur was when the BJP came to power, people couldn’t host church meetings without police protection! I wonder why people are so eager to get Modi elected? Don’t they want India to be a secular country anymore? Don’t they want their Christian and Muslim friends to have a peaceful life?
From Ms Leena Samuel
India
Disaster!
According to me there is not a single politician in India whom we can trust and cast our vote for. However, when it comes to Modi I believe he is going to bring a disastrous situation to India. He is a threat to the Indian economy and its peace. Handing over my country, is like handing over our motherland to a doctor without any degree. I pray to the Almighty to save my country and protect my motherland.
From Mr Iqbal Mohammad
UAE
Give him a shot
It’s a very one-dimensional argument. Riots did occur and if there was lapse in the Modi government, he wouldn’t have been re-elected. And fortunately or unfortunately, he is the best we have. Who would you have gripe over national policies - BJP or Congress or the nascent AAP? Let’s give him a shot shall we, if he fails he will be thrown out!
From Mr Prasanna
Aachen, Germany
Website comment
It’s such a shocking article in Gulf News, the media which the entire Indian community is reading each day. Regarding the riots in India, why is the author only bothered about the Gujarat riots? Why is he not interested in the mass killings of Kashmiri pandits (more than 17,000), the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Mumbai riots, and the Gujarat riots during the pre-Modi era. In order to stop the violence, support was requested by Modi to the neighbouring Congress-ruled state chief ministers Digvijay Singh of Madhya Pradesh and Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, but both of them denied support. Modi showed the facsimile copy of the message at a conclave to prove that the request for help was made. Now it’s totally a polarised political scenario created by the Congress to keep the minority in a tense situation, worried about what will happen to them if Modi comes to power. This is what we want to stop. The colonial tactics of the erstwhile British Raj are being followed by the Congress. Whichever riots happened in India must not be repeated. The past is past, we must go ahead and stop such situations, especially by not raking up old issues and creating tension in the minds of people repeatedly.
From Mr Jithin Nair
UAE
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