NEW DELHI:
In an attempt to lure Muslim voters, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) frontrunner Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned virulent anti-Muslim remarks by a one-time associate as he sought to keep attention on his core message of development and corruption-free administration.
Praveen Togadia, head of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), faces a police investigation after a video appeared to show him urging Hindus to evict Muslims from their neighbourhoods in western Gujarat state.
Speaking in Gujarat on Saturday, Togadia is heard saying: “We (Hindus) are in a majority - we should have the courage to intimidate (Muslims) by taking the law in our own hands.”
A lawyer for Togadia said the clip was ‘false, malafide and mischievous’.
Modi, a hardliner from the Hindu nationalist BJP, said he ‘disapproved’ of the statement from Togadia, an associate when both men were in grassroots Hindu political groups in the 1980s.
“Petty statements by those claiming to be BJP’s well-wishers are deviating the campaign from the issues of development and good governance,” Modi tweeted.
“I disapprove (of) any such irresponsible statement and appeal to those making them to kindly refrain from doing so,” he added.
Religious tensions, an undercurrent for much of India’s election campaign due to Modi’s polarising past, have been the subject of discussion in recent weeks following reported comments from hardliners.
Last week, Giriraj Singh, a BJP leader in eastern Bihar state, said critics of the 63-year-old leader ‘will have to go to Pakistan’.
Modi’s closest aide, Amit Shah, was temporarily banned from campaigning after he made inflammatory remarks in a constituency torn apart by anti-Muslim riots last September, urging supporters to seek ‘revenge’ at the ballot box.
On Tuesday, another BJP ally, Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam said Modi would avenge the attacks on Indian soldiers by Pakistan once he became prime minister.
“Within six months of becoming the PM, Modi will take action against those Pakistanis who beheaded our soldiers,” he said. However, Kadam later backtracked from the statement. “I said Modi would teach a lesson to Pakistan, not destroy Pakistan,” he explained.
Members of the BJP camp fear that Kadam’s barb will send a wrong signal among its supporters in Muslim community and minorities.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2014.
COMMENTS (33)
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@lolz: to take notice the incident has to happen first
@Deepwater: In the past Modi has made many anti muslim statements.One being about muslim population increasing in India.Modi is RSS and RSS is anti muslim.Now that he is in election mode ,he will talk development,while his sidekicks will pander to the hardcore Hindus with these sort of statements.When he comes to power,he will show his true face.Modi was on the dais with the Shiv Sena at a election rally in Mumbai .Kadam of Shiv Sena made a provoking statement against muslims.What stopped Modi from telling the same crowd that he did not subscribe to Kadam,s views.Instead he tweeted that he did not agree with Kadam the next day.The U Turn is that a man who is anti muslim is now defending muslims.
@gp65: Modi’s implied justification of the killings of innocent members of the minority community read together with an absence of a strong condemnation of the violence that followed Godhra suggest a partisan stance at a critical juncture when the state had been badly disturbed by communal violence” (p. 153, PI Report). ). [Sanjeev: SIT's preliminary report was quite clear about Modi's culpability. Then it watered it down in the final report.
Addendum (14 September 2013): I have now been able to analyse a serious hate speech, here.
I have no doubt that Modi HATES MUSLIMS AT A GUT LEVEL, and would like to wipe them out entirely, if he could.
A discussion on FB led to my requesting evidence about the actual hate speeches made against Muslims by Modi.
Two pieces of evidence have been provided so far, below.
In my mind Modi is almost certainly involved in many serious crimes. I must, however, give him the benefit of doubt since matters are still being investigated/ proven. The main thing about these cases is that they are very hard to prove, since a LOT of key evidence was not recorded publicly. And Modi has diligently destroyed a lot of key records. And almost certainly got key witnesses killed, including his own Minister.
But on hate speech, evidence should be public, hence open and shut. .
These two cases, below do show a STRONG tendency by Modi to use the religious card. He is NOT Vivekananda or S. Radhakrishnan, or Patel.
In this speech he refers to Muslim "miyans" and Miyan Musharraf, etc., in a very aggressive voice and talks about Muslims in a very denigrating manner.
He speaks in a growling, goonda's voice, threatening VIOLENCE (pulling out eyeballs of "Pakistani" Muslims, etc.). His voice is filled with deep, visceral hatred. Such a man becoming PM would almost certainly lead to nuclear holocaust in South Asia.
Nothing like a good civil war to set everyone's mind right ...keep it up BJP ...instead of a shinning India you will end up with a burning India if you keep this madness up...
Modi is going to be elected because of his promise of prosperity .. not anti Muslim blather. He knows that he can't turn around the economy if he is considered an extremist by the West who he is relying on for that same prosperity. This isn't the first or last time he distances himself from the extremist.
@gp65:
Good point!! Mr Modi did not say about evictim Indian muslims; he just let the Evil forces massacer Indian muslims and destroy their ancient Babry mosque, classifying them as squatters who had occupied the residence of Ram! What is next on the card, the Taj Mahal, which happens to be a formal temple of Hanuman?
Rex Minor
There are hate mongers on both sides if there is Togdia in India there is Zaid Hamid in Pakistan we must not give any weitage to what they say.We have been living like enemies for 67 years and the results of this enimity are there to ponder over. Can not we live good neighbours who helps each other in emergencies only this is in the intrest of common man.
Although I don't agree with the choice of words in the headline (U-Turn) but Modi is well known (notorious) for his compliance in the atrocities committed to the Muslims of Gujarat. Apologists may not agree with my statement but it is a ground reality for which a lot of honest Indians lost their careers and their lives when they tried to prove it in the court of law. The biggest reason, the so called moderate Indians are behind Modi is his track record for being a hard liner and a right winger hawk. Otherwise L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh are the BJP leaders with higher national inspirations and a stellar track record in politics.
Whether Mr Modi is against or for muslims, we are not concerned with that. He can keep his hypocrisy to himself.
@Pakistani in DC: Under this good governance 3000 Muslim children, women and men were massacred for three consecutive days
@Realist:
So long as Pakistan does not instigate war with India, why would Pakistan "go up in nuclear fire" if Modi wins?
What a pathetic headline. When did Modi EVER say Muslims should be evicted that his criticism should be taken as a U-turn? In fact the statement did not even come from a BJP member but Togadia who is member of VHP. Togadia and Modi do not see eye to eye and TOgadia even campaigned against Modi in the last election. How then do you associate Togadia's statements with Modi?
As far as Giriraj's hateful sentences are concerned, parties have millions of followers. IF one BJP follower makes such a statement and BJP party leader admonishes him and states firmly that it is not party policy, matter should end there. In no way can the opinion of random BJP members be pushed forward as though they were BJP party policy or Modi's opinion.
@Anoni- Sorry what you are reacting is to a poor headline not a statement of facts. Please read what I have stated
@Realist: India and Modi made their places in the world by working towards it and with good governance not by interfering and criticizing others.... but at the end of the day, we (Pakistanis) deserve the type of leadership we currently have.
@kamran Khan: teachers forced upper cast also, no one will notice that.
while world is against Modi, because he will make India strong. thats why medias are trying everything shamelessly
All leaders are mad to say any thing against Pakistan,
@Indian: to a good measure Giriraj Singh also
@Realist These two countries cannot fire nuclear bomb on each other!!! i can bet over it.
@Jahangir Chauhan:
Pakistani newspapers/media have never demonstrated any independent, objective reporting since the country was born. Media served as a compliant tool in the hands of the powerful. and now it is being used to pander to the populist mood in Pakistan where anti-India sentiments are widespread. Even if you have a bad day in your office, you might suspect a RAW hand which seems ubiquitously involved in all your country's (self-created) misery. Finding a scapegoat has always been a popular sport in Pakistan where people always blame others for their in-house problems; and, sadly, the media plays along without disproving (or proving!) such ridiculous allegations through clinical and objective investigation. It is not surprising to many Indian -- and non-Indian readers -- accustomed to fiercely independent newspapers to come across an abundance of distorted and, often, unsubstantiated comments such as the caption of this story which speaks of a "U-turn" when, in fact, Modi had not said anything about evicting Muslims from Hindu neighbourhood in the first place. I wonder what prompted you (The Express Tribune subbing people) to give such a baseless title with that misleading word "U-Turn".
By the way, a comment by this reader Jehangir Chauhan, who called Modi a "mass murderer" would not be published in any decent and objective paper anywhere else. So much for fair, honest and objective reporting and comments! I wish the reader Jehangir Chauhan had the courage to speak about the REAL mass murderers in his own country which harbours quite a few responsible for killing many innocent people, including women and children.
I did not come across any person having any interest in Indian elections, plz stop posting news related to Indian elections
Never believe on this mass murderer He can take as many U turn as it suits him to come into power in center as PM.They way he sidelined BJP stalwarst like Advani and Jaswant Singh shows his thirst for power.
@Pakistani in DC:
You are an confused American pretending to be Pakistani. If Pakistan goes up in Nuclear fire, you have your blue passport to turn to.
The person who wrote this doesn't know the meaning of a U-turn, but then Musharraf said Pakistanis speak better English than Indians. Now wonder he is being accused of treachery
Things you do to win elections.
@ ET - Beg to clarify the term - U Turn ! Did Modi say anything hateful ? He has vehemently objected on the inciting statement given by these morons - Togadia and Giriraj. As far as my primitive english goes, it is not u-turn.
What has been said cannot be unsaid
this is how a great leader speaks not like some azam khan and akbaruddin owaisi.
So where are the liberal of Amen ki Asha.
Look like Modi company just barbecued it.
Teachers force Muslim, lower caste students to clean toilets in India: Report: Times of India - April 22, 2014
As an objective Pakistani, we should support Modi - an example of good governance.
How exactly is it an U turn, please explain ET. VHP and BJP are different, the person who made those remarks is different. Modi just condemned Tagodiya's statement. Then how can modi take a U turn on a road in which he didn't traveled the very first place. You guys need to learn some Media ethics.
How is this a U-Turn when Modi has never remotely said anything like that ever? Every party - left or right - has its wingnuts and Modi is trying to reign his in.
Poor journalism from ET that misleads its already perturbed readership.
Kindly explain what do you mean by U turn? Did Modi earlier the earlier statements and later retracted it?