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Journalism of Courage
In a virtual replay of the near showdown on the Ayodhya issue earlier this year, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the VHP today locked horns over Gujarat, whipping up a storm that threatens to rock the central government on the eve of the winter session of Parliament.
The catalyst was Vajpayee’s public rebuke to the VHP, first through a carefully worded press statement and then in a forthright interview to Aaj Tak. Commending the Gujarat Government for banning the VHP’s proposed yatra, the PM warned the organisation not to use Godhra and the subsequent communal violence in the State as election issues.
‘‘Godhra was barbaric and everyone knew what happened thereafter. It should not be made an issue again and again. This will make it appear as if there is no other issue in Gujarat and votes are just playthings,’’ he said. This was shortly after he issued a press statement containing an appeal to focus on issues of ‘‘development and governance’’ during the election campaign, not on ‘‘matters that vitiate the atmosphere’’.
Vajpayee’s outright rejection of the Sangh Parivar’s main electoral plank in Gujarat can only aggravate tensions within the BJP which is deeply divided between the pro-Modi and anti-Modi factions. While the VHP hit back ferociously at the PM, the BJP was more careful but there are enough rumblings within the party to suggest that the fissures may be unbridgeable.
The clearest signal of the internal differences over Gujarat came from none other than Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani who refused to endorse the PM’s support of the Election Commission’s directive for a ban on the VHP yatra.
The reactions of the two top leaders of the BJP speak for themselves. Vajpayee said that although initially, it appeared that the EC’s directive was uncalled for, the situation in Gujarat warrants such a step.
On the other hand, Advani refused to be drawn into an answer when asked a specific question on the issue. ‘‘It is for the VHP to comment and maybe for my party to do so. I do not comment on an Election Commission decision being a member of the government,’’ he told correspondents while on a daylong trip to Ranchi.
There were two interesting developments this morning before Vajpayee went on the offensive. He spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over the telephone and had a meeting with Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi who has positioned himself with the PM on Gujarat.
Details of Vajpayee’s conversation with Modi are not known. However, the PM did reveal in the TV interview that he had advised the State Government to concentrate on the forthcoming elections and ensure that communal harmony is not disturbed.
The impending showdown between Vajpayee and the VHP which claims to control the BJP’s fortunes in Gujarat are bound to have an impact on Monday’s scheduled meeting of the BJP’s central election committee which will decide on ticket distribution for the Assembly elections. There are reports that the VHP, via proxy candidates, has demanded one third of the tickets.
With Gujarat expected to cast its shadow over the winter session of Parliament beginning on Monday, Vajpayee appears to be trying to pre-empt trouble by distancing himself from the charged election campaign being conducted by the BJP and the VHP in the State.
The text of his statement is as follows: ‘‘The Government of Gujarat has done the right thing by acting as per the directive of the Election Commission to prohibit religious processions in the State ahead of the Assembly elections on December 12. I appeal to all organisations to honour this directive issued by the constitutional authority and help the state administration in discharging its duty.’’
‘‘With elections less than a month away, it is natural for political and social organizations to want to go among the people and conduct their campaign. It is their democratic right. However, it is also the democratic duty of one and all to exercise it in a lawful way.’’
‘‘Even protest has to be expressed in a peaceful manner without inflaming passions. It is only through scrupulous obedience of the law that we can enhance the prestige and efficacy of our democracy. Anyway, the people of Gujarat will give their verdict soon and there is no need for making allegations and counter-allegations.’’
‘‘I urge all political parties and organisations to focus their election campaign on issues of development and governance, and not on matters that vitiate the atmosphere. I do hope that, after the State Government’s decision, all concerned would work towards peaceful conclusion of the polls.’’
