Go, Modi, Go!

I will not sign a petition against Narendra Modi addressed to the 'Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia' asking His Excellency to deny him a visa. I do not care about the man and had in fact applauded the US decision to deny him a visa. In this case, he has been invited by Mr. Syavral Yasin Limpo, Governor of Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province.

The petition lists the crimes of Modi that include genocide, that resulted in several people rendered homeless and many still awaiting compensation; it mentions the criminal cases against him and several others and his ministers and police officers.

The moot point here is that he has been invited by the government. We can question the sagacity, but we cannot ask a foreign nation who it should invite. I do not believe his travels will make any difference.

How can it when our own RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said yesterday on TV:

“Why should he [Narendra Modi] apologise? He has done no wrong … I am told that the speed with which riots were controlled is commendable …”

I find the idea of an apology patronising, anyway. And I cannot figure out this portion of the petition:

The question is - Will Indonesia offer Mr. Modi that restitution, by legitimizing his record of promoting hatred and violence against the minority Muslims and Christians of Gujarat.

We, the signatories to this petition, request the genteel, peace and justice loving people of Indonesia,

There have been riots in Indonesia. The people of India are in large measure genteel and peace and justice loving too. These are the same people who have elected this man to office despite being denied justice. What kind of society is this and what kind of people are we? We prop him up for his business acumen, for economic progress, for being a great administrator.

When there is a petition asking the people of Gujarat not to vote during elections, then I shall sign it. If there is a petition pressurising the courts to follow up on the cases, then I will sign it. If Gujaratis, and this includes the big cat Muslims, refuse to do business in Gujarat because of this asmita (self-respect) bait that Modi dangles before them and they show the courage not to cow down or be opportunistic, I will sign it.

I know that one signature less won’t make a darned difference but, frankly, Modi travelling to Indonesia or the Honduras will not alter my opinion of him or legitimise him in the eyes of Indians. And that ought to be our concern.

PS: I am willing to sign a petition making an urgent plea for him to be deported somewhere.

Some news...

It's not our duty to expedite Afzal's execution, says SC

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking directions to the Government to expedite execution of the death sentence of Mohammad Afzal, convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case.

"It is not our duty. It is for the executive to decide how to consider the matter. We cannot pass such a direction," observed a Bench presided by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan.

"This court cannot give such directions. We already passed the final order. You go to the executive," the Bench told the petitioner, Lashkar-e-Hind, an NGO.

I have already held forth at length on the case in two blogposts:

Parliament attack: Why should Mohammed Afzal be hanged?

Mohammed Afzal ko ghussa kyon nahin aata?

Petitioning for Justice for All

The worst indictment of the justice process is that what ought to be taken as a matter of course has to be fought for at every new turn. The decay started 15 years ago and has wormed its way into the minds of the 'intelligentsia'. Dissent is the only valid method of making the System accountable.

The above is my comment (signature #65).

If you as Indians believe in the concept of Justice for All, specifically the bomb blasts vs. riots case, then do read this petition and sign it if you believe in its message.

This is even more pertinent now that more news comes in. The Supreme Court plans to re-open the 1992 riots cases BUT it is not satisfied with the Justice Srikrishna Commission Report, although it has specifically indicted 31 police officers and several politicians by name. This, the SC feels, is not evidence enough.

"The bench added that it would be able to give directions for fresh probe or trial only after it was apprised of specific instances of lapses by the Maharashtra government in booking the perpetrators of the violence."

It is time to wake up...
- - -

Is it an emotional response? Am I getting too caught up in this riots/blasts thing? Yes. It is emotional. I am getting caught up because I never did get ‘uncaught up’. For many of us the riots of 1992-93 were the defining moment of ‘who’ we were. They made us think of ourselves as Muslims.

Even if we do not pray or fast or do anything to deserve a religion – and the religion most certainly does not deserve the likes of us – we feel an allegiance. To be a global citizen you first have to say you come from somewhere. That somewhere earlier was always India; now it is India and Muslim. I have surprised myself with this narrow definition. But how narrow is it, really? How many ghettos we trap ourselves in with the stereotypes we form...

Some say it lacks logic. Yes, it does. You cannot always logically understand ridges that appear on walls; they happen. It does not mean you give up on your home.