No printer8217;s devil here

Now, not all professional politicians have that kind of wit or articulation. But the message now, after the Jhabua rapes, the Gujarat incidents and the Staines killing, is the same: in fact now not just one newspaper but the entire media 8212; particularly the English-language media 8212; are being charged with indulging in enemy action. The charge is quitespecific.

That anti-Christian violence is being exaggerated a great deal, accusations are being hurled at the Sangh Parivar almost recklessly and the media is playing into the hands of Sonia Gandhi. An examination of the facts would show that in this case, the government and the BJP could actually claim some justification.

First of all in Jhabua, there has indeed been no evidence yet that anybody from the Sangh Parivar was involved in the rape of the nuns. Why, not even this paper, which sent its special correspondent Yogesh Vajpeyi, a veteran in Hindi-heartland politics, came up with anything to suggest that. In fact, Yogesh8217;s report was categorical that no political group or party seemed involved in the outrage though they were all trying to exploit it.

Then, despite all the commotion and outrage in the media and the world not a single Christian has been killed in Gujarat yet. You may not buy the Sangh Parivar argument that Christians started the rioting or that what are being burnt after all are tinychapels rigged together with bamboo and thatch, but really, by our usual standards for communal riots, so much hasn8217;t happened in Gujarat. Yet the Prime Minister has rushed there for an on-the-spot assessment, the district magistrate has been transferred etc. Also, Gujarat has a history of Hindu resentment against the missionaries dating back to Mahatma Gandhi8217;s times.

Similarly, please do not overlook the fact that Orissa is a state run by the Congress. There is no evidence yet that Dara Singh was actively involved with any Sangh Parivar organisation, the only evidence to that effect so far being the cry of 8220;Jai Bajrang Dal8221; that his mob is alleged to have shouted while incinerating the Staines family. Orissa, too, has a history of indigenous violence against the missionaries. Six persons were killed only last year and since the state has a large tribal population, conversions have been going on there.

Further, it is not a state you would consider the Sangh Parivar8217;s stronghold and you cannot accuseits ally, the Biju Janata Dal, of following a communal ideology. If anything, you have to charge it with having no ideology or agenda except survival.

On facts, therefore, it would seem that we in the English-language media have something to answer for. Since none of us would dispute any of these points why is it that we have been giving this government such a hard time? And aren8217;t we unfair in doing so? But the question is, who has accused the Sangh Parivar of killing Christians, or raping nuns? Forget the media, even the Congress has been its usual complacent self. The damage has been done entirely by the BJP8217;s own people.

These wounds, if its leaders would look at the news clips maintained so meticulously in its media cell carefully, are entirely self-inflicted.At a time when nobody was charging the Sangh Parivar with the Jhabua rapes and when Digvijay Singh was actually under extreme pressure just before the elections, a stunning self-goal was scored for the BJP and its allies by VHP leader and formerBJP MP Baikunth Lal Sharma Prem8217;, who said, somewhat grandly, that if the missionaries indulged in conversions they deserved to be raped. Advani intervened later, had the VHP condemn the statement and dissociate from it, but the damage was done. On the ground, there was nothing to link the BJP with the incident. But politically, a link had now been established.

Similarly in Gujarat, each one of Keshubhai8217;s denials of excesses against the Christians was laced with unsolicited defence of the Hindu Jagran Manch. Elementary administrative steps like the transfer of the district magistrate were not taken. And Pravin Chandra Togadia, the local VHP leader, continues to issue incendiary statements. Not once did the state government say that what was going on was wrong and that they were going to put an end to it.

They were the first to blame the English media. Warnings were sent to all of us, and the editor of our editions in Gujarat was condemned as a foreigner for the 8220;crime8221; that he answers a Christianname. An elementary administrative measure like transferring the district magistrate of Dangs was delayed until the Prime Minister intervened personally.

And who advised Vajpayee to mar his visit by calling for a debate on conversions? Religious conversion is probably an issue that needs to be debated. But now? And does the Prime Minister have to initiate this debate?Surely, we in the media have much to answer for. But we did not persuade or entice the Giriraj Kishores and Ashok Singhals to call Amartya Sen and Mother Teresa8217;s Nobel Prizes a Christian conspiracy, or suggest that she injected the poor with ampoules of Christianity? Or did Advani check with one of us before giving the Bajrang Dal a clean chit? If anyone had asked our advice, it would have been quite different.

Say, it doesn8217;t matter at this stage where Dara Singh comes from. I am the Home Minister of the nation. I will ensure the laws of the land are observed. It doesn8217;t matter even if a criminal is a family member or my brother. And, bythe way, it is rather cheap of you to exploit such a tragic, shameful crime for political gain8230; Wouldn8217;t the impact have been quite different?

The BJP8217;s basic problem arises from a fundamental confusion between ideology and governance and each one of these statements reflects that. It8217;s difficult to defend the English media at the best of times. God knows we do commit crimes each day, on each page, including the rape of Queen8217;s English. But on this one, our crime is only reporting faithfully the pearls of wisdom that leading lights of the Sangh Parivar have been spreading so liberally.

It8217;s difficult to suggest a solution. There is one that Indira Gandhi had used during the Emergency. Shocked by a statement from Bansi Lal her Defence Minister then that she had signed the Simla accord out of pity because Bhutto was wetting his pants repeatedly, she asked the censors to start snipping his speeches regularly. Maybe a self-censorship board in the BJP media cell would help. Or give us a list of the SanghParivar spokesmen who are to be taken seriously or black-balled.