Shocking admission

The man most responsible for Modi’s rise to power almost admitted that the PM was involved in the violence

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s shocking admission that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “taught...a lesson” to “anti-social elements” during the 2002 Gujarat pogrom is perhaps the most glaring example of how corrupted the Indian governance system has become. For most of the past two decades, Modi, his right-hand-man Shah, and several other BJP leaders have consistently claimed that then-chief minister Modi and his government did not plan or incite the massacre. Despite strong evidence to the contrary, several legal authorities, including the Supreme Court of India, have accepted these arguments, giving Modi, Shah and several of their cronies clean chits.

But now, the man credited with being most responsible for Modi’s rise to power almost admitted that the incumbent PM was involved in the violence. We say almost because Shah did not explicitly say who the“anti-social elements” were, but the context of his speech and past use of the term leaves no doubt that he was talking about Muslims. Shah was also personally responsible for approving the release last month of 11 men convicted of gang-raping Bilqis Bano and murdering 14 of her relatives during the pogrom. Several top Indian jurists have noted the weaknesses in recent rulings exonerating Modi of a role in the violence.

In light of these recent incidents and admissions, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has also demanded a new independent inquiry into the Godhra and Gujarat riots in light of Shah’s comments — after all, what kind of human being would falsely take credit for an attack that several scholars agree meets the legal definition of genocide. The FO also noted that Modi, and his cronies, had been barred from entering several countries for several years until he became PM specifically due to his suspected role in the pogrom.

In most cases, the bans were not withdrawn due to any changes in the perception of Modi, but the fact that it would be impractical to cut off contact with the leader of the world’s second-largest country.

Unfortunately, despite all their crimes, with the judiciary in their pockets, Modi and his allies remain bulletproof for the near future.