Skirting the real issue

The lead story in the latest issue of the Organiser is titled 8220;NIC reduced to Hindu bashing.8221; The story quotes Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at length over the omission of the word 8220;terror8221; from the National Integration Agenda Council8217;s Oct 13 meeting agenda.

The lead story in the latest issue of the Organiser is titled 8220;NIC reduced to Hindu bashing.8221; The story quotes Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at length over the omission of the word 8220;terror8221; from the National Integration Agenda Council8217;s Oct 13 meeting agenda. Says the report: 8220;Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi raised concern over the UPA government8217;s wilfully avoiding the use of the word 8216;terrorism8217; in agenda items in the meeting of National Integration Council on October 13, 2008. It doesn8217;t want to mention terrorism and doesn8217;t know the difference between terrorism and extremism. They are encouraging vote-bank politics. While speaking at the NIC meeting, Modi said that while he was shocked to find that the issue of terrorism was not mentioned in the agenda, the rise of terrorism, with educated youth involving in terrorists attack does not augur well for communal harmony.8221;

The report quotes Modi further: 8220;National consensus is required to isolate such people, groups and the so-called intellectuals supporting these elements in the name of protection of human rights. Deterrent punishment is necessary to keep the youth away from such indoctrination.8221;

8220;He added that his government is keen on maintaining social harmony and peace by focussing on the welfare and development of all its citizens. The state believes in justice to all and appeasement of none8230; The rath yatras of Ahmedabad and rest of the state which, in the past, witnessed communal riots on several occasions have passed off peacefully in recent years from 2003 to 2008. Muslims and Hindus cooperated with one another in celebrating the festivals,8221; concludes the report.

NIC bashing

The editorial in the latest issue is titled 8220;NIC for Hindu-bashing.8221; It observes: 8220;The National Integration Council meet called by the UPA Prime Minister Manmohan Singh turned out to be a platform for Hindu-bashing. The UPA in pursuit of its communal agenda perhaps wanted it to be that way. It used the occasion to polarise further, divide the society and sent out a message to the divisive elements across the country on the eve of the election that they have a saviour in the UPA. The Prime Minister set the agenda for the NIC by launching a highly partisan attack on Hindu communalism and exploring possibilities for banning some Hindu organisations which according to him were behind the violence in Orissa, Karnataka and Assam.8221;

It adds: 8220;He totally overlooked the terror attacks, illegal evangelism with foreign funds and infiltration from Bangladesh, which were at the root of national unrest. And he turned the NIC into a venue for ultra-communal elements from the Muslim and Christian outfits to launch an orchestrated tirade against Hindus. It looked as if the only problem confronting the country is that it is still Hindu majority. And the purpose, it seemed, was to warn the Hindus and reassure the minorities.8221;

Vajpayee8217;s visionary step

A news report in the RSS journal says 8220;National Geographic has eulogised Vajpayee8217;s Golden Quadrilateral Highway system.8221; Written by Arabinda Ghose, it notes: 8220;Seen on a 48-inch flat-screen computer monitor at the highway administrative headquarters in Delhi, the GQ seems as beautiful as a space capsule. Its designers describe it as an 8216;elegant collection of data points8217; or a gleaming, 8216;state-of-the-art machine8217;, a technologically advanced conveyor belt moving goods and people around India with seamless precision8230; The National Geographic adds: 8216;It is easy to be swept up in their enthusiasm for a system so technologically advanced that one day, any rupture in the pavement could be detected by sensors and maintenance crews dispatched; where tolls would be computerised and instantly tabulated against long-term projections, where accidents trigger an instant response from nearby emergency team. And there is no doubt that the highway and the development it has generated have quickened the pulse of the nation, boosted traffic volume, and brought millions of workers pouring into medium-size and large cities from the country side.8217; National Geographic says that the 3633-mile expressway is part of the largest and the most ambitious public infrastructure project in the country8217;s history, one with a social engineering goal at its heart.8221;

8212;compiled by Suman K. Jha