Windjammer
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In India the idea of rebirth and reincarnation is never far away. And so it was last week when an announcement by the Supreme Court offered a second opportunity for perhaps the country's most controversial politician. Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat and a member of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, stands accused of failing to stop (and even of facilitating) the murder of hundreds of Muslims in an orgy of shuddering violence that took place in his state in the spring of 2002.
Locally, Mr Modi, who has always denied the claims, did not let the allegations get in his way. Concentrating on development issues and reaching out to industry and business leaders both from home and abroad, he was twice re-elected to the state's most senior position.
But at a national level, it appeared there was reverberating unease about the man and his hard-line "Hindutva" philosophy. When he was brought out to campaign in the 2009 general election, his impact was lacklustre and his national ambitions appeared dashed.
But last week's announcement by the court may have changed that. The court had been asked to hear allegations concerning the killing of up to 70 people at the Gulbarg Society apartments in Ahmedabad. By sending the case back to a lower, local tribunal and by declining to name Mr Modi, the court deflated much of the potential controversy.
After the court made its announcement, the 61-year-old wrote on Twitter: "God is great."
Mr Modi's supporters in the BJP, struggling to locate and gather around a charismatic leader with national clout, leapt on the ruling, saying their man had been cleared and that any obstacles to him becoming a candidate for prime minister in 2014 had been removed. This weekend, Mr Modi held a "harmony fast" in the company of a flurry of high-profile BJP leaders who rapidly made their way to Gujarat, wanting to be seen to siding with a potential winner.
But the allegations that have dogged him for almost a decade are not going to go away. Last year, I visited the ruins of the Gulbarg Society apartments with one of the survivors, Imtiyaz Pathan, who was accompanied by an armed policeman, appointed by the courts for his safety.
As we made our way around the fire-scorched ruins, Mr Pathan recalled how the Muslim residents were for hours surrounded by a baying mob of Hindus. He said that as the situation worsened, Ehsan Jafri, a former MP, in whose house people had gathered for safety, picked up the phone and called Mr Modi directly and asked him to send help. "After calling Modi, Jafri was totally depressed," said Mr Pathan. "When I asked him what happened, Jafri said, 'There will be no deployment [of police].' In fact, he said that Modi had abused him, that he had used abusive language."
After giving himself up to the gang in an attempt to try and "buy" the safety of the other residents, Mr Jafri was never seen again. It was his family who had sought to have the Supreme Court hear their petition. His widow, Zakia, told reporters this week: "I am totally disappointed."
An indication of the unresolved issues showed itself as rapidly as this weekend. As Mr Modi was being feted by his supporters, survivors of the 2002 violence and other activists sought to hold their own gathering at the site where the chief minister was sitting. Rather than being allowed to gather, up to two dozen of them were reportedly detained by the police. Perhaps that talk of a new beginning is a little too early.
A rebirth dogged by controversy - Asia, World - The Independent
Locally, Mr Modi, who has always denied the claims, did not let the allegations get in his way. Concentrating on development issues and reaching out to industry and business leaders both from home and abroad, he was twice re-elected to the state's most senior position.
But at a national level, it appeared there was reverberating unease about the man and his hard-line "Hindutva" philosophy. When he was brought out to campaign in the 2009 general election, his impact was lacklustre and his national ambitions appeared dashed.
But last week's announcement by the court may have changed that. The court had been asked to hear allegations concerning the killing of up to 70 people at the Gulbarg Society apartments in Ahmedabad. By sending the case back to a lower, local tribunal and by declining to name Mr Modi, the court deflated much of the potential controversy.
After the court made its announcement, the 61-year-old wrote on Twitter: "God is great."
Mr Modi's supporters in the BJP, struggling to locate and gather around a charismatic leader with national clout, leapt on the ruling, saying their man had been cleared and that any obstacles to him becoming a candidate for prime minister in 2014 had been removed. This weekend, Mr Modi held a "harmony fast" in the company of a flurry of high-profile BJP leaders who rapidly made their way to Gujarat, wanting to be seen to siding with a potential winner.
But the allegations that have dogged him for almost a decade are not going to go away. Last year, I visited the ruins of the Gulbarg Society apartments with one of the survivors, Imtiyaz Pathan, who was accompanied by an armed policeman, appointed by the courts for his safety.
As we made our way around the fire-scorched ruins, Mr Pathan recalled how the Muslim residents were for hours surrounded by a baying mob of Hindus. He said that as the situation worsened, Ehsan Jafri, a former MP, in whose house people had gathered for safety, picked up the phone and called Mr Modi directly and asked him to send help. "After calling Modi, Jafri was totally depressed," said Mr Pathan. "When I asked him what happened, Jafri said, 'There will be no deployment [of police].' In fact, he said that Modi had abused him, that he had used abusive language."
After giving himself up to the gang in an attempt to try and "buy" the safety of the other residents, Mr Jafri was never seen again. It was his family who had sought to have the Supreme Court hear their petition. His widow, Zakia, told reporters this week: "I am totally disappointed."
An indication of the unresolved issues showed itself as rapidly as this weekend. As Mr Modi was being feted by his supporters, survivors of the 2002 violence and other activists sought to hold their own gathering at the site where the chief minister was sitting. Rather than being allowed to gather, up to two dozen of them were reportedly detained by the police. Perhaps that talk of a new beginning is a little too early.
A rebirth dogged by controversy - Asia, World - The Independent
