Always holier than thou

The Congress Party never misses an opportunity to drive home the point that it is, at present, the guardian of 14 states in the country. It also prides itself on its secular ideology and claims that it is committed to providing riot-free governance. Well, here’s a report card for the party that runs contrary to these expectations — or should we term them pretensions? At least two major states governed by the Congress, either alone or as part of a coalitional arrangement, have witnessed an alarming rise in sectarian violence and, if the situation is left unaddressed, these regions could soon figure as communal hotspots.

Take Maharashtra, where such tension has become a recurring theme. Some of these incidents were of course sparked by the assiduous activity of old familiars, like the Shiv Sena. But today even regions that have a history of relative peace are burning. Solapur is a case in point. A bandh called by the All India Muslim Vikas Parishad in protest against the babblings of a US Methodist preacher, Jerry Falwell — and that in the US — was enough to set this old textile town alight, killing nine and injuring several. The violence was created by a neo-Muslim group, the All-India Muslim Vikas Parishad, and it took the administration an unconscionably long time — 36 hours — to retrieve the situation. At the moment, the town of Badlapur, the the Thane district of the state, has come under a pall of violence — and all because two young men belonging to different communities had an altercation. Then take Rajasthan. A report from the intelligence wing of the state police has expressed apprehensions that Rajasthan could be the next Gujarat, given the level of VHP-Bajrang Dal mobilisation in vast swathes of the state and programmes like the mass distribution of trishuls. Remember, this is the state that had also witnessed the demolition of a mosque in Asind last year.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had showcased her chief ministers in Guwahati this summer and had showered rich praise on them for their capacity to govern. But surely the most eloquent measure of governance is the ability to ensure the security of citizens’ lives and property. Why is it that Congress governments keep flunking this all-important test? Will the party’s high command in Delhi please answer?