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Journalism of Courage
The BJP government has been functioning under the shadow of the Sangh Parivar ever since it came to power in March. This has, in turn, made for the strange duality that has marked its functioning.
It is in this context that the joint statement criticising forces close to the BJP, that had emanated from Tuesday8217;s coordination committee meeting, must be read. 8220;Sometimes, negative utterances and positions by certain elements perceived to be close to the nucleus of our coalition, BJP, have also undermined the prestige of the government8230;8221; The language employed is diplomatic in the extreme, but the identity of the agencies which were For some time now, even as reports of attacks on minorities in Gujarat and other regions came in, followed by the horrifying news that Australian missionary Graham Stewart Staines and his two sons have been set on fire in Orissa, the government8217;s disquiet over the stance of organisations like the Bajrang Dal and the VHP was clear enough. The Trinamool Congress and the TDP wereparticularly uninhibited in expressing their anger over these developments, with Mamata Banerjee even calling for the resignation of the Home minister and the banning of all 8220;fundamentalist and fanatic organisations8221; involved in the attacks on Christians in Orissa and Gujarat.Jayalalitha, too, was not far behind in her condemnation. Vajpayee8217;s unprecedented fast and address to the nation on Martyrs8217; Day, was yet more evidence of this. When he reiterated his intention to protect all sections of the people, irrespective of gender, caste and faith, he was also indicating to the lunatic fringe within the Sangh Parivar that he, as the Prime Minister, would not allow any group, no matter how close it was to his party, to get away with its ugly actions.
