Over sixty people were killed when bombs were set off in two coaches of Samjhauta Express, running between Delhi and Lahore, around midnight on February 18, 2007, at Diwana near Panipat in Haryana. PHOTO: FILE
Both the parties have cried foul and accused Mr Shinde of playing politics. But their complaints ring hollow. The RSS and the BJP are sister parties that both promote an extreme right-wing version of Hinduism and have no time for minorities. Indeed, it was the RSS that was part of the co-conspirators in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi for his supposed bias towards Muslims and it hasn’t moderated its views since then. The BJP may be the second largest political party in the country but it is one that has ruled by dividing India along religious and sectarian lines. To find that these two parties may be involved in training terrorists comes as no surprise given their history.
Congress will now be under a lot of pressure to disavow Shinde and his accusations. It should stand firm and instead launch a full investigation into these claims. India’s boasts of being the largest democracy in the world will ring hollow if one of its main parties is found to have terrorist ties. As potentially destabilising as it may be, for the sake of justice India should go through with this investigation and provide proof to the world to counter the BJP and RSS claims that it is being victimised by its political opponents.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2013.
COMMENTS (16)
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The originators of terrorist operations as an instrument and means of imposition of their way of life on others can not have the wickedness of their method minimized by some foolish and weak counter terrorism by others. The woulf and lamb story cannot apply. if dogma in way of life can be substituted by respect for others' way of life peace will descend. The initiative for peace and brotherhood has to emante only from the terror originator patent holder. Taking woulfish advantages of statements by fool-lambish leaders who have no identity themselves , will not help integration
@sabi: “I have yet to see any Indian accepting any fault in relation to India-Pakistan.”
Well dear you don't know us then... We're definitely not myopic and in denial as you guys are. For ur info, the Taliban and all the terrorist organizations you have sheltered loudly accept responsibility after an offence is committed. This includes attack on our Parliament, Akshardham, not to name the countless attacks against our state, especially in Kashmir. Any worldwide terror trail be it the Times Square bomber or 9/11 ends up in Pakistan. Maulana Masood Azhar released by us after the Kandahar hijack, takes out a rally in Karachi openly proclaiming his intentions. Same with the other guy Hafeez Said.
The same cannot be said about BJP-RSS combine. Their opponents in India have tried to smear them as much as they can and you guys desperate for a figleaf, latch on to these far-fetched assumptions.
@Raheem:
Sorry brother, unlike Pakistan, we don't have time to declare or we don't declare people or politicians as agents of this and that country, we simply don't believe in agents.......
Try to understand the vague accusition and truth, Their no truth in the Shinde's remarks, if at all , he should have the provided the proof and should have taken action as home minister, instead of making noise in the media
India is truly embarrassed and it's because of her own doings. Indian terror organizations must have been attacking targets inside India with an aim to put blame on Pakistan, to label it as rogue and terrorist state.
No wonder one day some good Indian official or leader may reveal that India has been meddling inside Balochistan and supporting those elements who are demanding independence to destabilize Pakistan.
No wonder BJP may declare Shinde as Pakistani agent. Good luck Shinde.
@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks: "@SM: and gp65, so enlighten us who was responsible for the massacre of Pakistanis in that Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2007, at Diwana near Panipat in Haryana and how many were convicted for that horrendous crime and for how long."
If you are providing it as an example of BJP running a terror camp than know that the planners were never part of BJP Yes government claims Aseemanand was influenced by RSS - but the notion that he was trained in an RSS terror training camp is not something anything has proven. Government made that claim and now has been sued by RSS - a link that I have already atached.
No one says that no Hindus were involved in Samjhauta express blast. It is the notion that BJP and RSS are running terror camps that is disputed not just verbally but in the courts
The planners for Samjhauta are under trial (no conviction as yet) but they are in jail. Unlike Hafiz Saeed they are not going around giving anti-Pakistan speeches and engineering anti-Pakistan wall chalkings.
@SM: and gp65, so enlighten us who was responsible for the massacre of Pakistanis in that Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2007, at Diwana near Panipat in Haryana and how many were convicted for that horrendous crime and for how long. By the way democracies gives the rights to people to determine their own fate but what you people are doing to the Kashmiris in Kashmir is beyond me. Several years ago the inhabitants of Quebec province of Canada wanted to decide their own fate and they were allowed to do so and that is what I call true democracy. Just because you people are producing billions in numbers does not mean that it is the largest democracy, just ask the Assamese what kind of democracy they have in the union of India. Some how I have the feelings that you people are just perfect and everything in India is honky dori.
@sabi: "I have yet to see any Indian accepting any fault in relation to India-Pakistan."
No Indian is so deluded as to think that 100% of the fault is wih Pakistan and 0% is with India. But the fact remains that Pakistan started 4 wars with India and India started zero wars with Pakistan. The fact is that for the longest time Pakistan army supported terrorists going to India; terrorists who openly collected funds. This was denied at the time but is now admitted. This was paused for a few years after a chastened Musharraf was forced to sign a ceasefire once India flexed ts muscles post parliament attack.) and it appears to have restarted once Musharraf left (some markers : 26/11, JeM is able to restart openly collecting funds, the increasing trend in ceasefire violaions 58 in 2010, 60 in 2011 and 100+ in 2012)
Now if there is one side that has 85% fault and another that has 15% fault which side do you think will have to accept blame? When the fault is not equal, how will acceptance of blame be equal?
Congress now claims that Shinde's statement was a mistake and BJP should let it go. http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/congress-distances-itself-from-home-minister-sushil-kumar-shinde-s-terror-remarks-320741
Shinde on the other hand has been taken to court for a criminal case.
Shinde is the home minister and has prosecution and intelligence reported to him. YEt there is no case against any supposed BJP people linked to terror. On the other hand, a criminal case has been filed against Shinde for his Hindu terror remarks http://ibnlive.in.com/news/criminal-complaint-filed-against-sushil-kumar-shinde-for-hindu-terror-remarks/317395-37-64.html
Yet Pakistani media is in overdrive based on this foot in mouth statement by Shinde.
@SM: My long rebuttal was not published but fortunately your post captures most of my points.
Couple of more points I would like to add: 1. RSS is not a political party as referred to in this editorial
RSS involvement with Samjhauta is far from proven. Here is relevant info from wikipedia "On January 8, 2011, Aseemanand allegedly confessed that Saffron terror outfits were behind the bombing of Samjhauta express,[8] a statement later found to be obtained under duress.[9] Later the Hindu nationalist group RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) sent a legal notice to CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) accusing it of deliberately leaking Swami Aseemanand's confession in the media". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samjhauta_Express
Even if terror links of BJP are proven (which is really the job of Home Minister Shinde to whom intelligence agencies AND prosecution machinery apply), it would call into question India's democracy only if people indicted for terror (but not yet convicted) actually won an election. I do not think BJP would even dare to nominate people indicted for terror. In Pakistan on the contrary Rana Sanaullah openly campaigns with LeJ leaders and PTI shares stage with LeT and LeJ on the DPC platform.
The only reason that Congress is under pressure to withdraw its remarks is because they are untrue. Had their been truth to the remarks, it is BJP that would have been under pressure to take some action just like it was in the Nitin Gadkari tax case. (for my PAkistani brethren, Nitin Gadkari was BJP President and has never even contested any election but once facts about questionable tax returns came to light, BJP was forced to get his resignation.
@SM: One of the most funny editorials I have yet come across... I have yet to see any Indian accepting any fault in relation to India-Pakistan.Pakistanis are taking lead.Who will be the leader in sub.continent?
Every country has its anarchist but whether the state is part of the anarchist group is the question. Unlike PAK, India has not crossed that line, yet.
As long as the new moth of jihadi preachers who are roaming the airways around the world continues, there will be opponents to this new breeds and Muslims will cry foul. This is going to be the issue faced around the world in this 21 century. Ironically, the first casualty of this new moth invasion are Islamic countries.
One of the most funny editorials I have yet come across. The views represented in this editorial reflects how less ET knows as a journalistic institution about India. India does not "boasts" about it being the "largest democracy". It is in fact by any measure the largest democracy, something that is self-evident. One doesn't need boasting that is clear to everyone. To address the "biggest misconception" that "terror flow only one way, from Pakistan to India", it will not be a "misconception" if Pakistan can perhaps provide evidence that India as a state has supported terror activities in Pakistan. As long as there is no evidence from the Pakistani side, and with the mountain of evidence already available on the Indian side, terror indeed flows "one way, from Pakistan to India". Therefore it is not really such a "misconception" as noted here. In the absence of the said evidence it cannot be therefore spinned any other way. There are of course people who are or were affiliated to RSS who did partake in terror activities, mainly on Indian soil, even killing some Pakistani civilians. The difference here is India is actively pursuing these terrorists and most of them are already in jail. India is not waiting perpetually for Pakistan to "provide solid evidence" as Rehman Malik likes to seek from India as in the case of Hafis Sayeed. That's the key difference here. Finally, Sushil Kumar Shinde is sub-standard politician and very mediocre Minister. All he was doing was playing the game competitive rhetoric when calling RSS terror as "Hindu or Saffron terror". If there is any evidence against anyone it is his job to put them in jail, and not sing songs about them in chintan shivirs, which only goes on to show his incompetence. Therefore writing a scathing article whose basis is rather weak with no facts to back it up shows intellectual shallowness on the part of ET. Perhaps you will do a better job the next time. I enjoy your website by the way and generally I find it most interesting, sometimes even better than some Indian publications. Have a nice day!
This article seems to be high on hope and extremely low on substance. Clutching at the straws eh?