The (official) team has produced a clinical report on the violence against Christians in the South Gujarat districts ... (It) has . dutifully reproduced the State Government's preferred perspective.

Both (Advani) and Pramod Mahajan have given clean chit to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad; technically both are correct, as they know that it was the Hindu Jagran Manch (a front organisation of the VHP) that had instigated and justified the atmosphere of violence and intimidation against the Christians. The crux of the matter is not the direct culpability of the VHP; rather it is the gradual but systemic encouragement that the agents of provocations have received from the political masters in Gandhinagar.

.. The official line in Gandhinagar is that there is no crisis, no organised violence against the Christians and the real culprit is the "English press" which is spreading alarmist stories. Mr. Kaushal has also reproduced the Gandhinagar official spiel that the "churches" destroyed were not churches in the real sense but merely bamboo hu's converted into "churches" for religious rites. What is being overlooked is that a place of worship is a place of worship, irrespective of the grandeur of the building. If Mr. Kaushal had visited Dangs district he would have found that there are very few grand buildings in this land of deprivation.

Moreover, the politicisation - and communalisation - of the police force is the most significant contributory factory. It was probably beyond the mandate of the Team, but ... the lower level postings throughout the State have been allowed by the Keshubhai Patel Government to be vetted by the local Bajrang Dal-VHP functionaries.

District Superintendent of Police for the Dangs District, Ms. Neerja Ghotru, was transferred out three months ago because she had dared to register offences against local Bajrang Dal hoodlums.

Since the DSP was shifted out from Dangs, the district was being looked after by a Dy. S.P. rank officer, clearly in awe of the political clout of the local Bajrang Dal-Hindu Jagaran Manch-VHP crowd. The entire law and order machinery - from the Home Secretary to the DGP down to the range/SP level - has opted to do the politicians bidding. Only couple of months ago an upright Home Secretary, Prakash Ramrakhiani, was given marching orders ... The violence in Gujarat against the minorities is certainly premeditated. It is no coincidence that the atmosphere suddenly deteriorated after the RSS's recent chintan-baithak. At least the Sangh parivar leadership in Gujarat is under the impression that it was expected of it to reassert the Hindutva agenda. Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel is endowed with such a narrow perspective, political and administrative, that he can see no pattern or cause for concern in the violence against the Christians. The sangh parivar has definitely proceeded on an assumption that no other group - religious, educational or NGO - was to be allowed a voice unless it was in conformity with the parivar's narrow sectarianism. The violence against the church's missionary activities is part of a wider pattern of crowding non-sangh parivar groups and individuals out of the civil society. There is no space for independent groups.

Gujarat has been a veritable laboratory for the sangh parivar in its ... attempts at mobilisation of the Hindutva agenda. The Christians provide soft target; the Muslims have demonstrated that they have a capacity for retaliation. Hence, the special targetting of the Christians in Gujarat. The adverse reaction in and out of Gujarat would be the beginning of the regrouping of the increasingly disappointed "Hindutva forces". The sangh parivar would be closely evaluating the gains and losses after this round of violence ... (Source: The Hindu, 3 January, 1999)

 CPI(M): Statement On PM's Observations, 11 January, 1999

It is indeed deplorable that Prime Minister Vajpayee has given a clean chit to the Gujarat government's handling of the communal violence against the Christian community. By calling for a national debate on conversions, the PM has virtually given credence to the attacks on the Christian community. (He has) chosen not to outrightly condemn ... violent attacks against Christian community ... Such a public position can only encourage the communal elements to perpetrate further such attacks.

The Polit Bureau ... warns the BJP-led government that the Indian people will not tolerate such a systematic destruction of the country's secular foundations. (Source: The People's Democracy, 17 January, 1999)

CPI: Statement on PM's Gujarat Visit

The CPI expresses its disappointment and protest at the statements and observations made by Prime Minister Vajpayee during his visit to Gujarat. It seems that the purpose of his visit was to hand out a certificate to the Gujarat government of his own party ... It is shocking to note that Prime Minister has also raised the issue of 'Conversion'. There is no proof of forced conversion even according to the District Collector ... The Prime Minister has even proposed a national debate on the issue, when the Constitution and our national policy on it are quite clear. It is an effort to bail out the Gujarat government.

The CPI reiterates its demand that the attacks on minorities should be stopped, they should be given full protection and the guilty must be booked and punished. (Source: New Age, 17 January, 1999)