Must read on Godhra Massacre by Islamic terrorists: Without tinder, sparks are useless – Varsha Bhosle

Varsha Bhosle

March 4, 2002
Without tinder, sparks are useless
Friday: In Mumbai, 7 buses have been damaged, 8 BEST staffers injured, and trains blocked by stone-throwing mobs during the strike called by the VHP. In neighbouring Thane, 6 shops belonging to “a minority community” have been set ablaze; a “100-strong mob moved around in the town… appealing to shopkeepers to down shutters and at some place forcibly pulling them down” (The Indian Express).

Question: Why did the shopkeepers ignore the VHP’s call for a bandh? Like agents provocateurs, were they looking for trouble…?

A-ha, you’re thinking, this dame’s accusing the victims for the crimes committed by the Hindu mob! And you’d be right. But I’m simply following our “secular” tradition: When news spread that 59 “Hindu activists” were killed by “miscreants” at Godhra, “the entire Opposition expressed disappointment over the government’s response to their demand for stern action against the VHP for continuing with its mass mobilisation programme in a bid to build a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya” (The Newspaper Today, February 28).

That’s right. Unarmed men, women and children are massacred by a Muslim mob — and the “secularists” suggest that the Hindus brought it upon themselves by going to Ayodhya.

What really happened at Godhra? According to The Asian Age of February 28, “A mob of 1,500, reportedly belonging to a minority community, attacked a bogie of the Sabarmati Express ferrying VHP activists… using iron rods and swords, and hacked to death over 50 passengers… Inflammable substances were also thrown into the coach, which led to a fire in a portion of the bogie, and several passengers were charred to death.”

Hacked to death with swords before being burnt.

Could the Age be wrong? But the Ahmedabad edition of The Times of India also carried this bit: “‘In our culture, women are respected and not attacked with swords and acid. We should not take this lying down,’ thundered [karsevika] Sushma Shukla.”

While stuff like “frenzied young men brandishing swords, tridents and iron rods have taken over the streets” occupies the front pages today, silence reigns over the swords, rods and acid used by “unidentified persons” or “miscreants” in the attack on “Ram sevaks” or “Hindu activists”.

The man in charge of the Hindu entourage on the train also told the Age, “There were many girls travelling along with the karsevaks and about 10 have been abducted by miscreants belonging to the minority community.” The reporter quizzed District Collector Jayanti Ravi about the abductions, which she did not deny: “The reported abduction of the girls is a subject of investigation, which would be done later.”

Ten girls stated to have been abducted. Have you read about this in our largest-selling newspapers amidst all the details of the carnage that Hindu hordes have wrought? Has anybody inquired about the FIRs…?

On the evening of the attack on the Sabarmati Express, a STAR News anchor admonished a fellow anchor for saying that a Muslim mass assaulted the Hindus: “Please don’t jump to conclusions. As journalists, we have a responsible role to play,” he said. The attack occurred around 8am, and even after 7pm, the newsman wanted to project doubts about the religious identity of the assailants…

How do you think the abducted girls’ brothers must have felt about the news blackout? How do you think the men who collected the shapeless bundles of charred flesh must have felt when the Communists and the Congress stuck to the supposed legitimacy of the Babri Masjid instead of sympathising with the distraught families? Could they have felt that India is their country, too? Wouldn’t they direct their rage at the first Muslim they saw? Then, does this “responsible” press, do these “secular” politicians, have any right to comment on the fury driving the rampaging Hindus? NOT!

Why am I not spewing bile at the Muslims, you ask? I won’t; I feel they’re little at fault. A spoilt child is created when the parents, fearing the tantrums he throws, accede to his every demand. He invariably becomes a bully, unwilling to share his possessions with his siblings, who then wait for a chance to get even. However, the error is the parents’, who shouldn’t have indulged him and driven a stake between the siblings. Whether the gruesome acts of the Muslim mobs or the Hindu hordes, none of it would have happened if someone had stuffed all our Nehruvian secularists and pinkos — politician, press and commoner — into a giant box and drowned it at sea in 1947. Then, Muslims would have learnt to live in parity with Hindus, and there’d be no Hindu backlash. Indeed, there would be no VHP.

*****

Saturday: The death toll has risen to 375. In Ahmedabad, even after the army being deployed, Hindu hordes armed with petrol bombs, swords and guns continue to hunt prey. In Bapunagar, where Hindus and Muslims clashed, rocket launchers, automatic guns and bombs were used. Six mosques have been razed in Ahmedabad, Surat and Bharuch. In Naroda-Patia, an entire slum was torched within minutes. The stories coming out are as bloodcurdling as that of the Sabarmati 59 — of entire Muslim families being lynched and set ablaze. In Pandarvada village, 30 were burnt alive. In Ahmedabad’s Gulmarg Housing Society, 35 Muslims were butchered, and similar massacres occurred in Saraspur and Shahwadi colonies…

The list of the dehumanization is endless. Most of the murdered couldn’t possibly have been part of the mob that burnt the Hindus. Most of them must have been innocents with no connection to any kind of violence. But that’s the ugly nature of a riot — no sanity, all fury. Whether the impetus is race, religion or poverty, riots essentially stem from extreme frustration. Communal riots will not go away unless the devout Hindus’ concerns are addressed. Bhosle’s “inflammatory” writing on the Web does not reach the Hindus of Godhra — it is the “national” newspapers, filled with anti-Hindu slants, that fuel their sense of estrangement in their own country. If our “secularists” do not recognise the crime they are committing — the position in which they are placing a minority — such riots will continue. With or without the VHP. Why make a tinderbox in the first place and then guard against a spark?? Chuck out the tinder! The spark will be wasted.

As I hear one horror story after another, the only questions that keep ringing in my mind are: WHY did the Muslims attack the train? WHAT were they thinking?! Did they really believe that no Hindu would retaliate? Didn’t they know that Gujarat is the land of *that* Mahatma Gandhi who had said, “But as a Hindu, I am more ashamed of Hindu cowardice than I am angry at the Mussalman bullying. Why did not the owners of the houses looted die in the attempt to defend their possessions? Where were the relatives of the outraged sisters at the time of outrage? My non-violence does not admit running away from danger and leaving the dear ones unprotected” (cited in The Tragic Story of Partition by H V Seshadri). WHO were these people?!

Prompt came the reply: The ISI, said BJP leader J P Mathur. Which is so much bullshit that I want to puke. Among those arrested (at the time of writing) — on the basis of eyewitness accounts or being caught in action — are two eminent municipal councillors of Godhra, Abdul Dhamtia and Salim Shaikh, the latter’s brother Abdul Gaffar, and two petrol-pump owners who provided the fuel to burn the train. Also, the nagarpalika president, Mohammad Kalota, and councillor Bilal Haji — both accused — are absconding. Besides which, no sane person can believe that Pakistan would dispatch a 2,000-strong army of spooks to one place.

The Muslims who attacked the Sabarmati Express were neither ISI agents nor al-Qaeda jihadis — they are plain old Indians. Sure, the hand of the ISI *is* deep in there — but it’s now being cited by the politicians to shirk the responsibility for their continuing with the Congress policy of indulging the minorities, to the point that Muslims began to think they are invincible. Just as Osama bin Laden thought he would get away with obliterating the WTC, so did the Muslims of Godhra think vis-à-vis the Hindus returning from Ayodhya.

Ayodhya… To understand where I’m coming from, I urge you to visit my column of 1997 before reading further. The razing of the Babri has become the embodiment of everything that’s evil in India — that is, practising Hindus are what’s wrong with India. You see, if a Vinod Mehta or a Dilip Padgaonkar can’t be bothered to wear a janoi or believe fervently in the existence of Ram, it follows that any Hindu who does can’t be a sane specimen. If a Shekhar Gupta or a Kuldip Nayar feels no threat to his self-esteem from a mosque built on land traditionally revered as Ram’s janmabhoomi, it follows that anyone who does is an extremist-Hindu-fundamentalist-activist.

Problem is, there are far, FAR more Hindus who want to see the Ram temple come up at Ayodhya than there are clutches of “secular” opinion makers, historians, politicians and socialites. The alumni of Cathedral School or JNU do not an India make. This country also consists of the people who burnt Bombay and are burning Bharuch.

The root of the Ayodhya issue is the sacrilege of a masjid constructed at the site of what is held as Ram’s birthplace. Muslims — who believe that the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem represent Islam’s third-most holy sites — should have no difficulty in understanding the pulls of blind faith. After all, there is *no* historical evidence to suggest Mohammad ever visited Jerusalem, let alone ascended to heaven from the site on the Temple Mount. Therefore, a court order in favour of Muslims will NOT make Hindu resentment vanish. In fact, it will lead to worse.

In January 1991, when the VHP was negotiating a settlement for the return of the Ram Janmabhoomi, it gave this *written* assurance to the All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee and the government: “We do not even demand the return of the thousands of places of worship that have been forcibly replaced with mosques… We merely want three places back, three age-old sacred places. And we would prefer getting them back from the Muslim community, to getting them back by an official decree… Muslims should understand what kind of message they are sending by insisting on continuing the occupation of our sacred places, an occupation started by fanatics and mass murderers like Babar and Aurangzeb. We do not like to think of our Muslim compatriots as heirs and followers of such invaders and tyrants. It is up to them to make a gesture that will signify a formal break with this painful past.” The three places are Ram Janmabhoomi, Krishna Janmabhoomi (Idgah at Mathura), and Kashi Vishwanath (part of the Gyan Vyapi mosque complex).

I propose that the “secularists”, especially the leftist media, create such a climate that the Muslim leadership would freely cede these three sites to the Hindu activists. You see, there is no other solution. For, even if the “educated” bend-over-and-spread-up Hindus don’t know about the VHP’s affidavit and Syed Shahabuddin’s obdurate inflexibility, the Hindus who can make or break a riot DO. Wait and see what happens should a mosque come up at Ram Janmabhoomi again.

The devout Hindus have already compromised by asking for just 3 sites from among thousands. It is now up to the parent to cajole or threaten the spoilt child and teach him how to share with his sibling. Otherwise, further pampering = added estrangement = more riots. QED.

Varsha Bhosle

Teesta Setalvad should be punished for tutoring riot case witnesses: Godhra accused tells Supreme Court

Punish Teesta for perjury, Godhra accused tells SC
October 18, 2010

Abraham Thomas | New Delhi

Quotes from SIT reports, affidavits to nail her lies

With evidence to suggest that Godhra riots case witnesses were “tutored” by social activist Teesta Setalvad, an accused in one of the riots cases has approached the Supreme Court and demanded that perjury proceedings be initiated against her.

The application filed by Shashikant Patil, an accused in the Narodiya Patiya case (FIR No 100/02), highlighted how false affidavits were filed with the complicity of Teesta and her NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) to mislead the court. The application is expected to be heard on October 26, when similar petitions related to Godhra riots would be heard by a Special Bench of the Supreme Court.

Patil, who is in jail since 2002, has relied heavily on the affidavits and reports filed by the court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Gujarat Government, Teesta and certain witnesses before the apex court, to make out a case of perjury against her. If found guilty under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Teesta could end up in prison for a term ranging from three years to even life, depending on how the court views her conduct.

In support of his claim, Patil has quoted a crucial finding of the SIT showing 22 witnesses submitting “identical” affidavits in the court. Upon inquiry, none of the witnesses was aware of the contents recorded in these affidavits and confessed that three of them were sent by Teesta and six witnesses were asked to give contradictory statements regarding the accused.

Even the Gujarat Government highlighted this fact in its affidavit of March 11, 2010. Incidentally, in her reply to the affidavit, Teesta did not contradict any fact nor denied the allegations.

With Teesta’s NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace a petitioner before the Supreme Court and spearheading the campaign for justice for the Gujarat riots victims, the applicant gave further proof to illustrate how the petitioner took undue advantage of her vantage position to mislead the court.

The incident was of Naroda Gaon, where an alleged rape victim filed an affidavit on November 15, 2003, in the Supreme Court and provided a detailed account of her agony and injustice. The affidavit was filed by Nanoomiya Rasoolmiya Malek, the rape victim’s neighbour who claimed to be an eyewitness.

But later in her statement to SIT on May 20, 2008, the victim denied being raped and disclosed that Teesta took her signature on the affidavits but did not reveal to her the contents. The eyewitness Malek too charged Teesta of tampering with his statement. He said, “At the time of drafting the affidavit, I informed Teesta Setalvad, who runs the NGO, not to mention the said incorrect fact in my affidavit and I strongly objected against the same.”

This fact was brought to the apex court’s notice by SIT in one of its status reports.

Pointing out a possible nexus between Teesta and the witnesses, the applicant referred to a news report of December 20, 2008, in The Pioneer, wherein copies of cheques of Rs 1 lakh each issued by Teesta to the victims were produced.

Patil strengthened his case by highlighting the shocking tale of a pregnant Kauser Bano’s womb being ripped open, highlighted by Teesta as a ground to replace the SIT members. On investigation, SIT found the foetus intact and the sensational allegations to be concocted lies.

Quoting the above events, Patil said, “The constant attempts of the respondent (Teesta) in stalling smooth conduct of investigation and trial has resulted in the accused being in jail for a period of eight years without trial.” In this backdrop, the accused has urged the court to initiate perjury proceedings against Teesta under Sections 191-195 of the IPC.

Sabarmati Express carnage was planned by Godhra Muslims

https://islamicterrorism.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Godhra was planned’

DNA Correspondent Saturday, June 27, 2009

Ahmedabad: The torching of coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, was planned, said Gayatri Panchal (24), whose parents and two sisters were killed in the carnage incident.

In her statement in 2008 before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to probe the Sabarmati Express carnage and the ensuing riots, Panchal alleged that in March 2008 Sardarji Waghela had submitted a petition which said that the victims of the carnage had been served injustice and that “people from the minority community” had benefited from the help of NGOs working in this direction, which she said was true.

In the statement, annexed with the status report submitted recently by the SIT in the court of special judge PR Patel, who has been designated for the trial in the case, she said that she was travelling with her mother Nita, father Harshad and sisters Pratiksha and Chaya in coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express when it was torched.

“Godhra Muslim ghancio tolaa S-6 dabbo salgavel (Godhra Muslims burnt the S-6 coach),” in which everyone besides her had been burnt alive. She said she had given her statements in connection with the matter to various investigating officers earlier.

She further stated that the earlier investigating officer in the case had conducted a “fair and free investigation,” had arrested the accused and had put them behind bars, but “after the constitution of the team, the investigation officer was changed after the Muslim accused asked for it.”

She said that such an incident was sad and that the investigation officer should be handed the case. She has prayed that the victims of the carnage receive justice and that the accused receive harsh punishment.

When contacted, Panchal told DNA: “I stick to the statements that I have made before the SIT. I believe that such an accident cannot

be a mere accident, but a planned conspiracy. However, all we want is justice.”

Charges have been framed against 100 people accused in the case. The dates for the recording of evidence have also been fixed. Evidence in the case will be recorded on July 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Godhra was planned’

DNA Correspondent Saturday, June 27, 2009

Ahmedabad: The torching of coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, was planned, said Gayatri Panchal (24), whose parents and two sisters were killed in the carnage incident.

In her statement in 2008 before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to probe the Sabarmati Express carnage and the ensuing riots, Panchal alleged that in March 2008 Sardarji Waghela had submitted a petition which said that the victims of the carnage had been served injustice and that “people from the minority community” had benefited from the help of NGOs working in this direction, which she said was true.

In the statement, annexed with the status report submitted recently by the SIT in the court of special judge PR Patel, who has been designated for the trial in the case, she said that she was travelling with her mother Nita, father Harshad and sisters Pratiksha and Chaya in coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express when it was torched.

“Godhra Muslim ghancio tolaa S-6 dabbo salgavel (Godhra Muslims burnt the S-6 coach),” in which everyone besides her had been burnt alive. She said she had given her statements in connection with the matter to various investigating officers earlier.

She further stated that the earlier investigating officer in the case had conducted a “fair and free investigation,” had arrested the accused and had put them behind bars, but “after the constitution of the team, the investigation officer was changed after the Muslim accused asked for it.”

She said that such an incident was sad and that the investigation officer should be handed the case. She has prayed that the victims of the carnage receive justice and that the accused receive harsh punishment.

When contacted, Panchal told DNA: “I stick to the statements that I have made before the SIT. I believe that such an accident cannot be a mere accident, but a planned conspiracy. However, all we want is justice.”

Charges have been framed against 100 people accused in the case. The dates for the recording of evidence have also been fixed. Evidence in the case will be recorded on July 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Gujarat riot myths busted

Gujarat riot myths busted
Abraham Thomas, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, http://www.dailypioneer.com

The so-called human rights activist, Teesta Setalvad – who paraded the
Gujarat riot victims before the Supreme Court and claimed they had been
denied justice – suffered embarrassment on Monday after a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) gave sufficient grounds for the apex court to
doubt the authenticity of incidents highlighted by her NGO Citizens for
Justice and Peace.

The SIT, headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan along with former DGP
CB Satpathy and three senior IPS officers – Geetha Johri, Shivanand Jha
and Ashish Bhatia – had been entrusted with the enquiry into post-Godhra
riot incidents in Godhra, Gulbarg Society, Naroda Gaon, Naroda Patiya
and Sardarpura.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the State, read out
portions of the report that refuted the petitioner’s charge of the
State’s complicity in the riots.

Pointing out a specific instance, the SIT report stated how the evidence
of 22 witnesses was “suspect” owing to the identical submissions made in
their affidavits submitted to the court. On enquiry, the SIT found that
all the 22 affidavits were drafted, typed and printed from the same
computer, giving sufficient grounds to believe they were “tutored”. When
the SIT questioned those who signed the affidavits, it was shocked to
learn that these complainants were not even aware of the incidents.

Referring to another instance that exposed the Citizens for Justice and
Peace’s much ‘trumpeted’ charges, Rohtagi said the SIT investigation
found untrue allegation about a gangrape of a pregnant woman Kauser
Bano, whose stomach was allegedly pierced by sword and her foetus
killed.

Even the instance of dumping of bodies into a well at Naroda Patiya and
a charge of the police allegedly shielding accused persons in murder of
a British national was found to be untrue, Rohtagi said.

Firing a salvo at the NGO, Rohtagi said, “It is clear from the report
that the horrendous allegations made by the NGO were false. Cyclostyled
affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made
in them were untrue,” he added, with an obvious reference to Setalvad.

The NGO’s counsel Aparna Bhatt objected to such comments being made on
the strength of the report, which had also added several persons as
accused in the case. Refusing to be drawn into the slanging match
between the opposing parties, the Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat
said, “In riot cases, more the delay, there is likelihood of falsity
creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track the
trials.”

The court asked the State Government, petitioners and amicus curiae
senior advocate Harish Salve to suggest recommendations on these lines.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the
Centre, suggested selection of public prosecutors on consultation from
the SIT. Salve informed the court that the matter would be taken up with
the SIT. Based on a suggestion by another NGO petitioner counsel Indira
Jaising to evolve a witness protection system, Salve assured that the
same would also be discussed in the light of the sensitivity attached to
the case. The bunch of petitions was posted for further hearing after
next week.

Teesta, a pogrom of lies — must read

To read more about this vile creature and the macabre tales she concocted on the Gujarat riots, click

Teesta, it Hit Your Face

Teesta, NGOs fabricated Gujarat riot incidents: Special Investigation Team (SIT)

“the SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan told the Supreme Court on Monday that the celebrated rights activist cooked up macabre tales of wanton killings. “

” Rohtagi also said that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by the SIT which found that they had been tutored and handed over the affidavits by Setalvad and that they had not actually witnessed the riot incidents. “

NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riot incidents: SIT
14 Apr 2009, 1213 hrs IST, Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN

NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team responsible for the arrests of those accused in Gujarat riots has severely censured NGOs and social activist Teesta Setalvad who campaigned for the riot victims.

In a significant development, the SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan told the Supreme Court on Monday that the celebrated rights activist cooked up macabre tales of wanton killings.

Many incidents of killings and violence were cooked up, false charges were levelled against then police chief P C Pandey and false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents, the SIT said in a report submitted before a Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam.

The SIT said it had been alleged in the Gulbarg Society case that Pandey, instead of taking measures to protect people facing the wrath of rioteers, was helping the mob. The truth was that he was helping with hospitalisation of riot victims and making arrangements for police bandobast, Gujarat counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, said quoting from the SIT report.

Rohtagi also said that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by the SIT which found that they had been tutored and handed over the affidavits by Setalvad and that they had not actually witnessed the riot incidents.

The SIT also found no truth in the following incidents widely publicised by the NGOs:

* A pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu was gangraped by a mob, who then gouged out the foetus with sharp weapons

* Dumping of dead bodies into a well by rioteers at Naroda Patiya

* Police botching up investigation into the killing of British nationals, who were on a visit to Gujarat and unfortunately got caught in the riots

Rohtagi said: “On a reading of the report, it is clear that horrendous allegations made by the NGOs were false. Stereotyped affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them were found untrue.”

Obviously happy with the fresh findings of the SIT which was responsible for the recent arrests of former Gujarat minister Maya Kodanani and VHP leader Jaideep Patel, Rohtagi tried to spruce up the image of the Modi administration, which was castigated in the Best Bakery case by the apex court as “modern day Neros”. He was swiftly told by the Bench that but for the SIT, many more accused, who are freshly added, would not have been brought to book.

The Bench said there was no room for allegations and counter-allegations at this late stage. “In riot cases, the more the delay, there is likelihood of falsity creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track the trials. Riot cases should be given priority because feelings run high having a cascading effect,” it said and asked for suggestions from the Gujarat government, Centre, NGOs and amicus curiae Harish Salve, who said the time had come for the apex court to lift the stay on trials into several post-Godhra riot cases.

While additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam agreed with the court that public prosecutors should be selected in consultation with Raghavan, counsel Indira Jaising said there should be a complete regime for protection of witnesses as the same government, which was accused of engineering the riots, was in power now.

Salve said that he would consult Raghavan and let the court know about a witness protection system for post-Godhra riot cases. The court asked the parties to submit their suggestions within a week.

dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com

Muslim countries flocking to Modi’s Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit – 2009

http://www.vibrantgujarat.com/
Video on vibrant Gujarat Summit

First, some facts on Vibrant Gujarat from TOI article

Gujarat has clearly marketed itself well as a destination where there is money to be made. Representatives of 30 countries and 60 transnationals are coming to the two-day event starting on Monday. There are heads of state, diplomats, political delegations, company CEOs, bankers and financial institutions flocking to Science City in Ahmedabad where the event will be held.

At the end of Vibrant Gujarat 2009, MoUs worth Rs 7 lakh crore ($140 billion) are expected to be signed. In this depressed environment, this is simply staggering.

On all growth parameters, Gujarat is ahead of other states, laying stake to its claim as ‘The Growth Engine of India’ — the catchline of Vibrant Gujarat. Link
Pied Piper to the Muslim world
11 Jan 2009, Harit Mehta, TNN

AHMEDABAD: Call it the seven-year itch. Those many years after the 2002 Gujarat riots, Chief Minister Narendra Modi is changing partners. And it is having effect, as the Muslim world too now sees this tainted state and its government in a new light.

The fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit 2009, which will unfold on Monday, is drawing a huge participation from Islamic countries, as well as those which are predominantly Muslim.

This, even as US and European Union continue to deny Modi a visa to visit their countries on the grounds of alleged state complicity in the riots which killed over 1,000 Muslims. Also, human rights groups still allege that the Modi government has continued to thwart the process of justice for the riots victims. And terror organisations place Gujarat high on the hit-list, the latest grim reminder of which came on July 26, 2008, when 19 serial blasts killed 58 people in Ahmedabad.

Among those who have confirmed their participation is AS Vashishi, representative of The Arab League, officially called the League of Arab States. This 22-nation outfit includes members like Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) send a business delegation from the National Investment Office, representing Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.

There are also delegations from Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Brunei, Iran and Indonesia in the list where participation has been confirmed.

Prof Dwijendra Tripati, former faculty at IIM-A in business history and former president of the Indian History Congress, said: “Gujarat had rigorous mercantile trade with countries around the Red Sea and Persian Gulf for many centuries. This trade continued even after the East India Company came on the scene. The fourth Vibrant Gujarat marks a distinct change in the outlook of the world towards Gujarat and so the Muslim countries too are coming looking for opportunities.” End

Why India needs Narendra Modi?

“Today, Gujarat is the preferred investment destination for almost every multi-national and what’s more, there is an integrity that is missing in other states.

After I finished talking to the YPO (Young President’s Organisation) members, I asked some of them very casually, what they thought of Modi. Strangely, this was one area there was no class differential on. They too said he was God.

But what they also added very quickly was if India has just five Narendra Modis, we would be a great country. I don’t know if this was typical Gujarati exaggeration or a reflection of the kind of leadership India now needs! There is however, no question in my mind, that his flaws apart, Narendra Modi today, is truly a transformational leader! And we need many more like him!”

Why India needs Narendra Modi?

Suhel Seth
Oct 19, 2008, http://www.financialexpress.com

Let me begin with a set of disclosures: I have perhaps written more articles against Modi and his handling of the post-Godhra scenario than most people have; I have called him a modern-day Hitler and have always said that Godhra shall remain an enduring blemish not just on him but on India’s political class. I still believe that what happened in Gujarat during the Godhra riots is something we as a nation will pay a heavy price for. But the fact is that time has moved on. As has Narendra Modi. He is not the only politician in India who has been accused of communalism. It is strange that the whole country venerates the Congress Party as the secular messiah but it was that party that presided over the riots in 1984 in which over 3,500 Sikhs died: thrice the number killed in Gujarat.

The fact of the matter is that there is no better performer than Narendra Modi in India’s political structure. Three weeks ago, I had gone to Ahmedabad to address the YPO and I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with Modi. I called him the evening before and I was given an appointment for the very day I was getting into Ahmedabad. And it was not some official meeting but instead one at his house. As frugal as the man Modi is.

And this is something that the Gandhis and Mayawatis need to learn from Modi. There were no fawning staff members; no secretaries running around; no hangers on…just the two of us with one servant who was there serving tea. And what was most impressive was the passion which Modi exuded. The passion for development; the passion for an invigorated Gujarat; the passion for the uplifting the living standards of the people in his state and the joy with which he recounted simple yet memorable data-points. For instance, almost all of the milk consumed in Singapore is supplied by Gujarat; or for that matter all the tomatoes that are eaten in Afghanistan are produced in Gujarat or the potatoes that Canadians gorge on are all farmed in Gujarat. But it was industry that was equally close to his heart.

It was almost like a child, that he rushed and got a coffee table book on GIFT: the proposed Gujarat Industrial City that will come up on the banks of the Sabarmarti: something that will put the Dubais and the Hong Kongs of this world to shame. And while on the Sabarmati, it is Modi who has created the inter-linking of rivers so that now the Sabarmati is no longer dry.

He then spoke about how he was very keen that Ratan Tata sets up the Nano plant in Gujarat: he told me how he had related the story of the Parsi Navsari priests to Ratan and how touched Ratan was: the story is, when the Navsari priests, (the first Parsis) landed in Gujarat, the ruler of Gujarat sent them a glass of milk, full to the brim and said, there was no place for them: the priests added some sugar to the milk and sent it back saying that they would integrate beautifully with the locals and would only add value to the state.

Narendra Modi is clearly a man in a hurry and he has every reason to be. There is no question in any one’s mind that he is the trump card for the BJP after Advani and Modi realises that. People like Rajnath Singh are simply weak irritants I would imagine. He also believes that the country has no apolitical strategy to counter terrorism and in fact he told me how he had alerted the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the NSA about the impending bomb blasts in Delhi and they did not take him seriously. And then the September 13 blasts happened! It was this resolve of Modi’s that I found very admirable. There is a clear intolerance of terrorism and terrorists which is evident in the way the man functions; now there are many cynics who call it minority-bashing but the truth of the matter is that Modi genuinely means business as far as law and order is concerned.

I left Modi’s house deeply impressed with the man as Chief Minister: he was clearly passionate and what’s more deeply committed. When I sat in the car, I asked my driver what he thought of Modi and his simple reply was Modi is God. Before him, there was nothing. No roads, no power, no infrastructure. Today, Gujarat is a power surplus state. Today, Gujarat attracts more industry than all the states put together. Today, Gujarat is the preferred investment destination for almost every multi-national and what’s more, there is an integrity that is missing in other states.

After I finished talking to the YPO (Young President’s Organisation) members, I asked some of them very casually, what they thought of Modi. Strangely, this was one area there was no class differential on. They too said he was God.

But what they also added very quickly was if India has just five Narendra Modis, we would be a great country. I don’t know if this was typical Gujarati exaggeration or a reflection of the kind of leadership India now needs! There is however, no question in my mind, that his flaws apart, Narendra Modi today, is truly a transformational leader! And we need many more like him!

The writer is Managing Partner, Counselage

Also click on this remarkable interview with Modi

‘I knew police would get us’ – IM Co-founder Sheikh

‘I knew police would get us’

Fri, Oct 10

“I had warned Riyaz (Bhatkal) but he overlooked my instructions. I knew the police would get us in the end.

” This is how 32-year-old software programme engineer Mohammed Sadiq Israr Sheikh, the alleged co-founder and main controller of Indian Mujahideen (IM), reacted when his interrogators from the Mumbai Crime Branch (CB) informed him how they caught around 20 of his operatives on Monday. Sheikh, arrested along with four other key IM members by the Mumbai police two weeks ago, is allegedly involved in the planning of September 13 Delhi blasts and July 26 Ahmedabad blasts.

Another co-accused is the group’s dead operations chief Atif Ameen and logistics/recruitment chief Riyaz Bhatkal, who is still absconding. So what was the warning Bhatkal seemed to have ignored? The Crime Branch’s additional commissioner of police, Deven Bharti, when asked by Hindustan Times, said, “Sadiq told us that he had specifically warned Riyaz Bhatkal, who were both at par in the Indian Mujahideen’s pecking order, to discontinue the practice of sending terror e-mails, which leave behind digital signatures, and using cars, that have chassis numbers, to park bombs at a targeted spot.

Sadiq told him that both these tools leave a trail behind that would help the police netting IM modules.” “Sadiq,” said Bharti, “seemed absolutely composed while saying this but he seemed deeply remorseful.

” He answered Bharti’s queries in flawless English. The “warning”, said Sheikh, was delivered to Bhatkal, who holds a diploma in civil engineering and dabbled in extortion-and-counterfeit currency related activities before turning to terror, in a meeting at suburban restaurant in Mumbai.

“This meeting occurred at a McDonald’s outlet in Andheri west before the July 26 Ahmedabad blasts and was attended by Sheikh, Bhatkal, and Delhi’s Atif Amin. Despite Sheikh’s warning, Bhatkal went ahead and sent an e-mail using a hacked Wi-Fi connection in Navi Mumbai and used four stolen cars to plot attacks in Ahmedabad and Surat,” said Bharti.

His interrogators describe Sheikh, a resident of Mumbai’s Cheetah Camp area, as having an “amazing intelligence” who is “ruthless” in equal measure. Said Bharti, “We repeatedly asked him if he rued the loss of lives of innocent civilians but he stayed unfazed and expressed no remorse at all.

” Added Bharti, “Sadiq said he and his group have conducted blasts for the Muslim qaum (community) and to avenge the 2002 Gujarat riots.” Sheikh, in turn, in fact asked Bharti rhetorically, “Were not the Muslims who died in the riots in Gujarat innocent civilians as well?”.

12 myths of Gujarat riots – gujaratriots.com

Here is a great website busting the myths of Gujarat riots

www.gujaratriots.com

MYTHS OF GUJARAT RIOTS
Myth 1: 2,000 Muslims were killed in the Gujarat riots
Myth 2: Muslims were ‘butchered’ in Gujarat
Myth 3: Whole of Gujarat was burning
Myth 4: The Gujarat police turned a blind eye to the rioting
Myth 5: Gujarat police was anti-Muslim
Myth 6: Gujarat riots were the ‘worst ever massacre’ in India
Myth 7: Only Muslims were rendered homeless and suffered economically
Myth 8: The Gujarat government was involved in the riots
Myth 9: Gujarat riots were like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Myth 10: Gujarat became a dangerous place to live in, in 2002
Myth 11: In Ehsan Jafri’ case, women were raped
Myth 12: The photo of Qutubuddin Ansari is genuine

For enlightening details click gujaratriots.com