Modi’s Gujarat: Development hero, civil rights zero

Narendra Modi may claim to have got it right on the development front, but not all of the “six crore Gujaratis” that he regularly quotes as having benefited, seemed to agree with him yesterday.

The Gujarat chief minister’s second day of fast was marked with discordance and a show of his government wresting their power to mute civil society.

Mukul Sinha, founding member of civil rights body the Jan Sangharsh Manch, told CNN-IBN that some 60 people, including danseur Mallika Sarabhai, were detained Sunday in an attempt to thaw disapproval towards the chief minister and his amity fast. The protest was to take place in the Naroda Patiya area — where more than 90 people were killed during the post-Godhra riots.

Naroda Patiya, which is eight kilometres from the Gujarat University site where Modi was on fast, saw hoards of police personnel take over the area and prevent people from coming out of their houses to participate in the demonstration called by the JSM. Instances of lathi charge  were also  reported.

“We protested against the arbitrary police action of detaining activists, including Mukul Sinha and Shamshad Khan Pathan and several riot victims. Later, when the women started protesting, a team of women police lathi-charged the people. It was shameful, especially since the CM claims to be open to any criticism,” Praveen Mishra, a volunteer with the JSM told the Times of India .

While being taken to the police station, Sarabhai told TV reporters that a police officer had told her that instructions for their arrest were handed down to them on Saturday – even before the day the protest was to be held – and gave  no reason for detaining her.

“We were to hold a silent protest. I have no idea what I am being charged with,” said Sarabhai.

Sarabhai had come out strongly against Modi for spending tax payers’ money on his fast and also accused Modi of using public funds to “bribe” her attorney in an attempt to influence a public interest litigation on the 2002 riots she has filed in the Supreme Court.

Sinha said about 100 riot victims endorsed an open letter to the chief minister, which called Modi’s fast “publicity” and that there could be no “sadbhavna” (harmony) without justice.

“Have you ever peeped into the hell through which we the victims and community as a whole is going through? No, you have not and we know, you have no desire or intention to give us justice,” said a PTI report . “No amount of power or arrogance gave Midas his glass of water nor will you get your sadbhavana with all your developmental publicity.”

There was an equal amount of dissent outside the venue of Modi’s fast.

Police prevented parents of 13 HIV-affected thalassaemic children from Junagadh from going to the fast venue. Parents blamed the government-owned hospital in Junagadh for transfusing infected blood into their children.

Kamlesh and Hetal Nai, parents of two young boys who were found murdered in an abandoned car in Indroda a few months ago, were not allowed to enter the fast venue and lathi charged by  cops.

In the evening, one Vaishali Makwana, a resident of Saurashtra, slashed her wrist after being prevented from meeting the CM. She was hospitalised and was stable.

Development may all be well, Mr Modi. But, what about civil rights and the right to protest peacefully?

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