Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Modi’s 'Forgiveness' Blog: What He Said, What He Meant


Much has been made of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s blog post where he talked about his ‘feelings’ after the riots of 2002. It was viewed by the media as a coming out moment, his moment of apologizing to the Muslims, thousands of whom were killed ‘allegedly’ on his behest.

His post was far from it.

The blog post is an exercise in rhetoric and doublespeak that would have made George Orwell (who coined the word doublespeak), quit writing. What was worse the blog post not only had its share of lies and half truths – something which everyone but his fanatical supporters have come to accept as a norm now – but had a lot of misinformation. 

He mentions the gap between the earthquake of Jan 2001 and Feb-March 2002 riots as 5 months. Strange isn’t it, that the three time CM of a state cannot remember the gap between the two events from his state that changed it forever.

Secondly, he states that he fasted for 37 days in 2011 as part of his Sadbhavana rally when in reality he fasted for 3 days. Again, even if this is typographical mistake, what does it say when a blog post that is so carefully and meticulously crafted, makes such a glaring mistake. 

Below is Modi’s blogpost, tweaked just a little to show what he actually would have written if he were not bound by his ambition of becoming the next PM of the country. It only adds a few words and sentences and removes only a few words from his actual blog post. 
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Asatyameva Jayate: Brute Alone Triumphs

My dear Hindu sisters and brothers,

The law of nature is that Brute Alone Triumphs – Asatyameva Jayate. Our lower courts whose judges anyone in power can manipulate having spoken, I felt it important to share my inner thoughts and feelings with the nation at large thanking them for keeping me at large.

The end which is yet to be, brings back memories of the beginning. The devastating earthquake of 2001 had plunged Gujarat into the gloom of death, destruction and sheer helplessness. Hundreds of lives were lost. Lakhs were rendered homeless. Entire livelihoods were destroyed. In such traumatic times of unimaginable suffering, I was given the responsibility to soothe and rebuild. And we had whole heartedly plunged ourselves into the challenge at hand.

Within a mere five months (I am a history-sheeter when it comes to making historical blunders and here I make another: the gap between the earthquake of January 2001 and riots in Feb 2002 is 13 months not 5 but I can count on my quisling and star struck Indian media partners not to point this mistake out) however, the mindless violence of 2002 had dealt us another unexpected blow. Innocents Hindus were killed. Their families rendered helpless. Property – the A6 coach of Sabarmati Express - built through years of toil, destroyed. Still struggling to get back on its feet from the natural devastation, this was a crippling blow to an already shattered and hurting Hindus of Gujarat.

I was shaken to the core by what Muslims did to Hindus on that train. ‘Grief’, ‘Sadness’, ‘Misery’, ‘Pain’, ‘Anguish’, ‘Agony’ – mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity that was bestowed upon S6 coach of Sabarmati Express.

On one side was the pain of the Hindu victims of the earthquake, and on the other the pain of the victims of S6. In decisively confronting this great turmoil, I had to single-mindedly focus all the strength given to me by the Hindu almighty, on the task of peace, justice and rehabilitation of Hindus; burying the pain and agony I was personally wracked with. The solution was simple – Kriya Pratikriya… let the entire Muslims community face in multiple times what a few of them did to us Hindus in coach S6. The Hindu almighty had chosen me to avenge nearly 1000 years of wrong done by Muslims on Hindus and I would not fail that task and even if it meant denying the duty demanded of me by the Constitution of India. 

During those challenging times, I often recollected the wisdom in our scriptures; explaining how those sitting in positions of power did not have the right to share their own pain and anguish because they have to make sure that others suffer. They had to suffer it in solitude and compensate for it by the sheer pleasure of seeing the enemy suffering it. I lived through the same, experiencing this pleasurable anguish in searingly sharp intensity. In fact, whenever I remember those agonizing days, I have only one earnest prayer to God. That never again should such cruelly unfortunate days come in the lives of any other Hindu person, society, state or nation. Every Muslim person, society, state or nation can go rot in hell. 

This is the first time I am sharing the harrowing but extremely satisfying ordeal I had gone through in those days at a personal level.

However, it was from these very built up emotions that I had appealed to the people of Gujarat on the day of the Godhra train burning itself; fervently urging for peace and restraint for Hindus and violence against Muslims, asking them to ensure lives of innocents Hindus were not put at risk not matter how much violence you bestow upon innocent Muslims. I had repeatedly reiterated in my daily interactions with the media in those fateful days of February-March 2002 that was also reported then that Kriya-Pratrikriya – action and reaction - is the name of the game; publically underlining the political will of Hindus as well as moral responsibility of the government to ensure peace and deliver justice for Hindus and punish all Muslims guilty of violence. You will also find these deep emotions in my recent words at my Sadbhavana fasts, where I had emphasized how such deplorable incidents of the S6 coach did not behove a civilized society and had pained me deeply and so I ensured that the entire Muslim community in the state got punished for the work done by a handful few in Godhra. 

In fact, my emphasis has always been on developing and emphasizing a spirit of unity between different communities of Hindus and hatred among Hindus, Muslims and Christians; with the now widely used concept of ‘my 5 crore Gujarati brothers and sisters excluding Muslims and Christians’ having crystallised right at the beginning of my tenure as CM itself from this very space.

However, as if all the suffering was not enough, I was also accused of the death and misery of my own loved ones, my Gujarati brothers and sisters when the truth was that I had only assisted in the killing of Muslims, not Gujaratis. Can you imagine the inner turmoil and shock of being blamed for the very events (some stupid conspiracy theorist went to the extent of blaming the S6 burning on me) that have shattered you!

For so many years, they rightly and incessantly kept up their attack, leaving no stone unturned to prove me guilty. What pained even more was that in their overzealousness to hit at me for their narrow personal and political ends so what if they were right, they ended up maligning my entire state and country because they don’t understand that the Gujaratis who killed the Muslims are super-patriots and should be given Bharat Ratnas instead of being attacked so. This heartlessly kept reopening the wounds of S6 that we were sincerely trying to heal by killing as many Muslims as we could in Gujarat. It ironically also delayed the very justice that these people claimed to be fighting for and I thank god for that because true justice would have seen me hang by the gallows and not become your dear darling Prime Ministerial aspirant. Maybe they did not realize how much suffering they were adding to an already pained people by talking about the thousands of Muslims killed and only proportionally mentioning the dozens killed in the Sabarmati train fire.

Gujarati Hindus however had decided on their own path. We chose peace over violence because we had killed enough in the month after the S6 burning. We chose unity over divisiveness because we knew that the Muslims were silenced for good. We chose goodwill over hatred because the fire had done its damage. This was not easy because there were still Muslims left alive, but we were determined to commit for the long haul and seize any other opportunity to kill that community. From a life of daily uncertainty and fear; my Gujarat transformed into one of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana for Hindus and that of Fear, Terror and Horror for Muslims. I stand a satisfied and reassured man today because I have violently prevented a Muslim backlash in my State by killing everyone who wanted to rebel. And for this, I credit each and every Gujarati who participated in the Gujarat genocide of 2002 and have shielded themselves and me by rooting for me.

The Gujarat Government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than ever done before in any previous riots in the country by ensuring that only Muslims were killed and no Hindus harmed. Yesterday’s judgement culminated a process of lacklustre scrutiny not closely monitored by the highest court of the land, the Honourable Supreme Court of India because it is a metropolitan court in Gujarat and is not even a High Court in the state. My 12 years of trial by the fire have not finally drawn to an end but I can fool my brain-washed Hindu voters to feel that it is so, so that I can remove the slightest doubt from their minds about electing me the PM of the country. I do not feel liberated and at peace but I have to strive on because I have burnt all my bridges and the only option for me now is to either become a PM or to face capital punishment for my role in the riots.

I am truly grateful to all those who foolishly stood by me in these trying times; not seeing through my facade of lies and deceit. With this cloud of misinformation about me and my development agenda firmly spelled out, I will now also hope that the many others out there trying to understand and connect with the real murderous Narendra Modi would feel less empowered to do so and only focus on the fact that they have to make me the next PM of the country come what may.

Those who derive satisfaction by perpetuating pain in others who are as guilty as me, will probably not stop their tirade against me. I do not expect them to because the same soil that sustains a selfishly stubborn me, also sustains these justice seekers. But, I pray in all humility, that they at least now stop irresponsibly maligning the 6 crore people of Gujarat because in all honestly, what they did they did because I gave them the permission so how can you truly blame them.

Emerging from this journey of pain and agony; I pray to God that extreme bitterness seeps into every heart for those pseudo-secular Hindus who support Muslims. I sincerely do not see this judgement as a personal victory or defeat because it is merely a metropolitan court and not even the High or Supreme Court of the country, and urge all – my friends and especially my opponents – to not do so as well. I was driven by this same principle at the time of the Honourable Supreme Court’s 2011 judgement on this matter, which did not give me a clean chit but merely said it will not interfere after their appointed Special Investigative Team gave me a clean chit without even considering the statements of IPS officers like RB Sreekumar, Rahul Sharma and Sanjiv Bhatt. 

I fasted 37 days (I actually fasted 3 days, but then the media houses paid by the industrialists whom I have give free sops worth billions that actually belong to the state and its people, will not check this glaring lie and just in case some stupid blogger did, I will say it was a typographical error) for Sadbhavana amidst the Hindu communities, choosing to translate this positively brought judgement into constructive action for all Hindus, reinforcing Unity and Sadbhavana in the Hindu society at large and reinforcing their hatred for Muslims.

I am deeply convinced that the future of any society, state or country lies in harmony of its majority community so they can harass and terrorize the minority. This is the only foundation - of divisive politics - on which progress and prosperity can be built. Therefore, I urge one and all to join hands in working towards the same, ensuring smiles on each and every face of the majority community of the state and nation.

Once again, Asatyameva Jayate!

Dande Mataram!
Narendra Modi

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Satyameva Jayate: Truth Alone Triumphs

My dear sisters and brothers,

The law of nature is that Truth alone triumphs – Satyameva Jayate. Our judiciary having spoken, I felt it important to share my inner thoughts and feelings with the nation at large.

The end brings back memories of the beginning. The devastating earthquake of 2001 had plunged Gujarat into the gloom of death, destruction and sheer helplessness. Hundreds of lives were lost. Lakhs were rendered homeless. Entire livelihoods were destroyed. In such traumatic times of unimaginable suffering, I was given the responsibility to soothe and rebuild. And we had whole heartedly plunged ourselves into the challenge at hand.

Within a mere five months however, the mindless violence of 2002 had dealt us another unexpected blow. Innocents were killed. Families rendered helpless. Property built through years of toil destroyed. Still struggling to get back on its feet from the natural devastation, this was a crippling blow to an already shattered and hurting Gujarat.

I was shaken to the core. ‘Grief’, ‘Sadness’, ‘Misery’, ‘Pain’, ‘Anguish’, ‘Agony’ – mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity.

On one side was the pain of the victims of the earthquake, and on the other the pain of the victims of the riots. In decisively confronting this great turmoil, I had to single-mindedly focus all the strength given to me by the almighty, on the task of peace, justice and rehabilitation; burying the pain and agony I was personally wracked with.

During those challenging times, I often recollected the wisdom in our scriptures; explaining how those sitting in positions of power did not have the right to share their own pain and anguish. They had to suffer it in solitude. I lived through the same, experiencing this anguish in searingly sharp intensity. In fact, whenever I remember those agonizing days, I have only one earnest prayer to God. That never again should such cruelly unfortunate days come in the lives of any other person, society, state or nation.

This is the first time I am sharing the harrowing ordeal I had gone through in those days at a personal level.

However, it was from these very built up emotions that I had appealed to the people of Gujarat on the day of the Godhra train burning itself; fervently urging for peace and restraint to ensure lives of innocents were not put at risk. I had repeatedly reiterated the same principles in my daily interactions with the media in those fateful days of February-March 2002 as well; publically underlining the political will as well as moral responsibility of the government to ensure peace, deliver justice and punish all guilty of violence. You will also find these deep emotions in my recent words at my Sadbhavana fasts, where I had emphasized how such deplorable incidents did not behove a civilized society and had pained me deeply.

In fact, my emphasis has always been on developing and emphasizing a spirit of unity; with the now widely used concept of ‘my 5 crore Gujarati brothers and sisters’ having crystallised right at the beginning of my tenure as CM itself from this very space.

However, as if all the suffering was not enough, I was also accused of the death and misery of my own loved ones, my Gujarati brothers and sisters. Can you imagine the inner turmoil and shock of being blamed for the very events that have shattered you!

For so many years, they incessantly kept up their attack, leaving no stone unturned. What pained even more was that in their overzealousness to hit at me for their narrow personal and political ends, they ended up maligning my entire state and country. This heartlessly kept reopening the wounds that we were sincerely trying to heal. It ironically also delayed the very justice that these people claimed to be fighting for. Maybe they did not realize how much suffering they were adding to an already pained people.

Gujarat however had decided its own path. We chose peace over violence. We chose unity over divisiveness. We chose goodwill over hatred. This was not easy, but we were determined to commit for the long haul. From a life of daily uncertainty and fear; my Gujarat transformed into one of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana. I stand a satisfied and reassured man today. And for this, I credit each and every Gujarati.

The Gujarat Government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than ever done before in any previous riots in the country. Yesterday’s judgement culminated a process of unprecedented scrutiny closely monitored by the highest court of the land, the Honourable Supreme Court of India. Gujarat’s 12 years of trial by the fire have finally drawn to an end. I feel liberated and at peace.

I am truly grateful to all those who stood by me in these trying times; seeing through the facade of lies and deceit. With this cloud of misinformation firmly dispelled, I will now also hope that the many others out there trying to understand and connect with the real Narendra Modi would feel more empowered to do so.

Those who derive satisfaction by perpetuating pain in others will probably not stop their tirade against me. I do not expect them to. But, I pray in all humility, that they at least now stop irresponsibly maligning the 6 crore people of Gujarat.

Emerging from this journey of pain and agony; I pray to God that no bitterness seeps into my heart. I sincerely do not see this judgement as a personal victory or defeat, and urge all – my friends and especially my opponents – to not do so as well. I was driven by this same principle at the time of the Honourable Supreme Court’s 2011 judgement on this matter. I fasted 37 days for Sadbhavana, choosing to translate the positive judgement into constructive action, reinforcing Unity and Sadbhavana in society at large.

I am deeply convinced that the future of any society, state or country lies in harmony. This is the only foundation on which progress and prosperity can be built. Therefore, I urge one and all to join hands in working towards the same, ensuring smiles on each and every face.

Once again, Satyameva Jayate!
Vande Mataram!
Narendra Modi
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Before the factually wrong blogpost with the 'mistakes' are corrected, here is a screenshot of it.

 
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