Gill’s electoral will

K.P.S. GILL’s comments about elections being the ‘best option’ to stem the violence in Gujarat arrive in a fraught context. Not long ago, till they were reportedly snubbed by the prime minister, Narendra Modi and Co had raised a loud clamour for advancing elections in the state. Their motives were transparently cynical — to electorally encash as soon as possible the communal polarisation the BJP government had presided over in the state. Lest the monolith of the ‘Hindu vote’ began breaking up. And so what if a large section of the minority community was still in relief camps and many were unable to return to their villages. This was also the idea that fuelled the Gujarat Gaurav Rathyatra that Modi and his men planned to embark upon recently, till the high command played spoil-sport. In this context, Gill’s advocacy of polls in Gujarat is bound to be tainted by association.

But it would be unfair to dismiss Gill’s statements so easily. The former Punjab Police chief has been credited with having had a sobering influence in the state ever since he was parachuted to Gandhinagar by the Centre. As the CM’s security advisor it may be necessary to engage seriously with Gill’s proposition, even if he seems to be speaking out of turn. Basically, Gill appears to be turning conventional wisdom on its head. It is generally believed that normalcy is a prerequisite for conducting elections. Gill is saying, on the other hand, that elections must precede the restoration of peace. According to him, political parties and organisations will keep trying to polarise communities with an eye on the polls, and that only actually conducting them can bring a closure to the tense situation.

There are two objections to Gill’s argument. While it is true that political parties may have a vested interest in keeping the embers burning in Gujarat, that danger must surely be balanced against another — of the democratic exercise being reduced to a travesty in an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and displacement. There are real fears that election campaigns may touch off tensions in sensitive areas, that they may expose wounds before they have had a fair chance to heal. Gill’s argument also sounds suspiciously like a confession and an abdication of responsibility. Is the chief minister’s security advisor admitting that the Modi government cannot restore peace? Is he passing the buck to the next government?