The Guardian says Modi as PM 'will bode ill for India' in open letter
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi, April 11, 2014
A number of respected academicians including writer Salman Rushdie have signed an open letter in The Guardian saying “it would bode ill” for India if BJP prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi were to be elected to the top post.
In the midst of the general elections, the letter published on Thursday brings up the 2002
Gujarat riots under Modi’s watch as chief minister and states it is “crucial to remember the role played by the Modi government in the horrifying events that took place in Gujarat in 2002”.
“If Modi is elected, it will bode ill for India's future,” reads the headline.
The open letter, which refers to Modi refusing to "accept any responsibility or to render an apology", has been signed by a host of internationally known names such as artist Anish Kapoor, Prof Homi K Bhabha and filmmaker Deepa Mehta.
It talks of the Muslim minority being the “victims of pillage, murder and terror, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,000 men, women and children" during the riots.
According to state government records, of more than 1,200 people killed in the 2002 riots, nearly 950 were Muslims.
The letter also talks of the condition of women during the riots and states they were “subjected to brutal acts of violence and were left largely unprotected by the security forces”.
Regarding the possibility of Modi becoming India's next PM, it says, "Were he to be elected prime minister, it would bode ill for India's future as a country that cherishes the ideals of inclusion and protection for all its peoples and communities."
The open letter comes days after The Economist infuriated the BJP by calling Modi “divisive”.
The guardian petition:
If Modi is elected, it will bode ill for India's future
Modi refuses to accept any responsibility or to apologise for the horrifying events that took place in Gujarat in 2002
Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for the 2014 Indian general elections. Photograph: Nisarg Lakhmani/Demotix/Corbis
Salman Rushdie, Imran Khan, John McDonnell, Fiona Mactaggart, Pragna Patel,Jayati Ghosh, Suresh Grover
Thursday 10 April 2014 17.15 BST
Without questioning the validity of India's democratic election process, it is crucial to remember the role playedby the Modi government in the horrifying events that took place in Gujarat in 2002. The Muslim minority were overwhelmingly the victims of pillage, murder and terror, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,000 men, women and children. Women, in particular, were subjected to brutal acts of violence and were left largely unprotected by the security forces. Although some members of Narendra Modi's government are now facing trial, Modi himself repeatedly refuses to accept any responsibility or to render an apology. Such a failure of moral character and political ethics on the part of Modi is incompatible with India's secular constitution, which, in advance of many constitutions across the world, is founded on pluralist principles and seeks fair and full representation for minorities. Were he to be elected prime minister, it would bode ill for India's future as a country that cherishes the ideals of inclusion and protection for all its peoples and communities.
Anish Kapoor, artist
Homi K Bhabha, professor of the humanities, Harvard University
Salman Rushdie, novelist
Deepa Mehta, film director
Dayanita Singh, artist
Vivan Sundaram, artist
Dame Helena Kennedy, barrister
Imran Khan, solicitor
Mike Wood, British Member of Parliament
John McDonnell, British Member of Parliament
Fiona Mactaggart, British Member of Parliament
Jacqueline Bhabha, director of research, François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University
Kumar Shahani, film director
Geeta Kapur, art historian
Pragna Patel, director of the Southall Black Sisters
Sashi Kumar, film producer
Jayati Ghosh, economist
Prabhat Patnaik, economist
MK Raina, actor/film director
Ram Rahman, artist
Saeed Mirza, screenwriter
Anuradha Kapur, National School of Drama in Delhi
Kumkum Sangari, professor of English and the humanities, University of Wisconsin
Gautam Appa, emeritus professor, London School of Economics
Chetan Bhatt, professor of sociology, London School of Economics
Suresh Grover, director, Southall Monitoring Group
