While Japan is one of the countries that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi visited recently, he now has an invitation from the People’s Republic of China. One lesson he would learn from the China-Japan relationship is the political importance of an apology. For all the good work that Mr Modi has done, and continues to do, in Gujarat, he has to convincingly atone for the communal carnage in the state in 2002. His three-day fast has turned out to be more a farce than a genuine expression of remorse and an attempt at reconciliation. Gujarat needs a “truth and reconciliation” process for the future well-being of its people as well as for Mr Modi to seek his destiny in national politics.
Having said that, to his credit, Mr Modi has shown rare political courage in the manner of his outreach to the Muslim community. Few Indian politicians have atoned for their sins of omission and commission in this manner when it comes to communal violence and conflict in India. After the pogrom against the Sikh community in Delhi following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, no Congress party leader had the courage to say sorry to the Sikh community, till Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did so during a debate in Parliament in 2005. The Congress party has still not thrown out from its ranks the politicians who were known to have been active in the anti-Sikh attacks. Moreover, more Sikhs were killed in Delhi than Muslims in Gujarat. All this is not to condone Mr Modi and his government, nor to belittle the magnitude of the 2002 horror. However, it helps place Mr Modi’s ongoing fast in perspective.
It must be recognised that Mr Modi has turned out to be one of the best chief ministers of the past decade. His political and administrative leadership in Gujarat has helped the industrious state remain ahead on almost all development indicators, including the performance of its agricultural sector. Mr Modi’s critics are wrong to point to the negative developmental consequences of his leadership. Indeed, even Muslim enterprise has thrived in Mr Modi’s Gujarat, which partly explains why an increasing number of them are willing to forgive, forget and move on in life. Though Gujarat has marched forward on most fronts, Mr Modi’s critics allege that they remain gripped by fear and that there is an air of intolerance in his government. Mr Modi would do well to address these issues and work towards creating a more liberal environment. That would also strengthen his claims for national leadership.
