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Abdullah likens Gujarat situation to Partition

"What happened in Gujarat is the worst to which demons can go," Abdullah said. "But whom are we going to blame and what is the harm it has done? It is not innocent lives only, but the country's secular ethos which has been murdered."

The chief minister was releasing a book titled 'The Black Book of Gujarat', written by former diplomat M L Sondhi and A Mukarji.

"What happened in 1947?" said Abdullah. "Both Hindus and Muslims were not accommodative with each other. It led to the formation of Pakistan. Now a similar picture is painted in Gujarat. Why should we push the nation for another partition?"

Abdullah said militants were killing in the name of jihad, but Islam does not preach this. "Those fighting in the name of Allah or Ram have only the lust for power and nothing beyond that," an emotional Abdullah said in his 90-minute address.

"Politicians share the maximum blame for bringing Ram and Allah on the road for their political gains," he remarked. "How long should people fall in these traps? Can we not chase these politicians away from the country?"

Referring to the continued criticism of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Abdullah said, "Please do not push him to the wall as he will become a hardcore fundamentalist, which is not good for the country. He has made mistakes, but the need of the hour is to kill the demon in him and not him."

Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party for its criticism of the Election Commission for postponing the election in Gujarat, Abdullah said, "We [politicians] should restrain ourselves from criticising a constitutional authority. Being a politician does not mean that we have a licence for everything in the world.

"Why should we meddle in the decision? After all, they [the Election Commission] arrived at the decision only after having first-hand knowledge of the situation."

He regretted that some politicians had even dragged the religion of Chief Election Commissioner James Lyngdoh in the controversy. "At a time when the entire international community is looking at New Delhi to certify the polls in Jammu & Kashmir, what will be the sanctity of such an autonomous body if we ourselves criticise it?" he said.

Earlier, former foreign secretary Muchkund Dubey said hatred had been forced between the communities, which had led to a virtual disaster.

Sondhi, one of the authors of the book, said the situation in Gujarat was that of a war "waged by the chief minister against his own people".

"What kind of Hinduism is being preached in Gujarat, daivik (godly) or asurik (demonic), is an answer the country needs to know from Modi," he said.

PTI

The Gujarat Riots: The complete coverage
Gujarat Election 2002: The complete coverage

Jammu & Kashmir Election 2002: The complete coverage

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