The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Sangh Parivar behind violence’

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Tuesday, Oct 07, 2008
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Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Sangh Parivar behind violence’

Special Correspondent

Centre criticised for being a ‘mute spectator’

BANGALORE:Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat on Monday accused the Sangh Parivar of instigating communal violence in Assam in the name of “illegal migration” though an international agreement has set a cut-off date for deciding illegal migration.

Speaking at a convention organised by the CPI(M) state unit on “attacks on religious minorities and the role of the BJP government” here, she said: “the violence in Assam between different communities, which has resulted in killings of 32 people, a majority of whom are Muslims, is nothing but the latest instigation by the Sangh Parivar. If they have instigated violence in the name of conversions in other parts of the state, they have taken up ‘illegal migration’ issue in Assam,” she said.

But an international agreement has already set the year 1970 as the cut-off period for deciding the illegal migration. Any migration which has taken place before this time is legal. But despite this, the Sangh Parivar is trying to make out even the earlier legal migrations as “illegal ones,” she alleged.

White wash

She termed the judicial inquiry ordered by the Karnataka government into the church attacks as an “eye wash” as well as “white wash.” The fact that the extended terms of reference of the probe include whether any conversions had taken place prior to the attacks on churches shows that it is an effort to provide judicial sanctity to the Sangh Parivar’s stand that the church attacks are due to conversions, she told journalists .

“This is similar to the terms of references provided to the Nanavati commission, which provided a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat with respect to Godhra violence,” she alleged and expressed fear that similar white-washing would be done in Karnataka also. “What prevents the government from initiating stringent action against the Bajrang Dal when its leader himself has claimed responsibility for the attacks,” she wondered.

Condemning the attacks against the Churches in Karnataka and the Christians in Orissa, she said it symbolised the attack on the Constitution, democracy and civilisation. She expressed concern over the rape of a 28-year-old nun which was exposed by The Hindu.

Centre blamed

She also urged the centre to put an end to its “present avatar” of being mute spectator to the violation of the Constitutional provisions and secular character of the country.

Article 25 of the Indian Constitution had made it clear that every individual had right to practice the religion of his choice and also to propagate the religion. This included the right to convert if one is impressed by the propagation. She urged that right to convert was an integral part of the country’s secular character.

Terming the opposition by the Sangh Parivar to the conversions as “double standards,” she wondered if the conversionwas not accepted, then why the Sangh Parivar is indulging in re-conversion at its ‘Shuddhikaran’ ceremonies in several places including Kandhamal of Orissa.

Pointing out that eight states had brought in anti-conversion laws, she termed the Supreme Court upholding the first such anti-conversion law introduced by Orissa in 1977 as “most unfortunate and retrograde decision.” She called for the review of this decision through a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.

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