Believe it or not, in four years since 2007 an average of 25 women have
been added to the imaginary number of women gang-raped in the Gujarat 2002
riots. That is how Shabnam Hashmi churns out figures. Now, Shabnam Hashmi is an
activist extraordinaire, a media pet and an expert on communal issues. No
matter what the discussion she will invariably come up with and link the issues
to Ayodhya, Gujarat riots and Narendra Modi. Her world becomes complete with
these three topics.
In 2007 Hashmi wrote an open letter to Narendra Modi about 300
women being gang-raped who are yet to get justice. This was in response to
Modi’s offer of shelter to Taslima
Nasreen in Gujarat. Taslima, being hounded by her own country Bangladesh
and later by Bengal and the Indian govt, is a muslim writer whose writings have
angered her community. You may carry on accusing Modi of a thousand things but
what could possibly be wrong with such a gesture? But then for the likes of
Shabnam Hashmi Modi represents the punching bag which keeps their careers and
their NGOs funded. Now the lies that the NGOs peddled have already been exposed
over and over again yet Hashmi continues to dangle hate through numbers.
On Sunday, September 25,
Narendra Modi was to hold a huge rally at Vastral on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
Obviously, he would make some political statements, but where was Shabnam
Hashmi? She was right there in a predominantly muslim locality asking them to
boycott Modi’s rally. What was her charge? Well, here’s what DNA reports: “Hashmi talked
about the 400 women of 2002 riots
who were allegedly gang-raped during the riots and were yet to get justice. She
also talked in abusive terms about the Muslims who had attended Modi's
Sadbhavna fast.” So, from the charge of
300 women gang-raped in 2007, according to her letter to Modi, the number has
now risen to 400. Such is the power of lies that are used to spread hatred.
The original accusation of 300 women, or any number, being gang-raped
has not been backed by any evidence. Those lies already stand exposed. Now
Shabnam Hashmi peddles more lies by throwing up a number of 400. Her letter of
2007 also accuses Modi of women being treated badly in Gujarat. Well, I don’t carry
numbers or statistics but I am sure Hashmi can see only one state in India’s
map and that is Gujarat. Safety or Crimes against women is altogether an issue
and has little to do with her hatred for Modi.
Hashmi didn’t stop there, she went on to shower contempt on those who
attended Modi’s Sadbhavna event: "We
want to stop this politics of hate and you people don't feel ashamed in going
to Modi's fast with the skullcap on your head? You posed for photographs with
him after taking Rs200 to Rs500?" she said, referring to the chief
minister in derogatory terms.“We will not stop anybody who wants to go to the Vastral rally but they
should understand that all this is politics. People of India will never let
Modi become the prime minister."
Now whatever else the criticism of the Sadbhavna Mission there is
hardly any sense or maturity in showering scorn on those who attended it.
Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, Jains and more attended it. Yet, Hashmi
goes on to lecture the Muslim community with the hope and intention of
permanently keeping them from integration. I call it hate engineering! I guess
throwing up vague, irresponsible statements is a significant feature of hate
engineering. There is no other way to describe the acts of Shabnam Hashmi.
Ironically, such hate-mongers camouflage their intent and acts with smart-sounding
NGOs. Hashmi’s NGO is named ANHAD
(Act Now for Harmony and Democracy). She is the founder of this NGO along with Harsh Mandar. Now Mandar needs no
introduction for his campaign against Narendra Modi. He is now a member of the
NAC. I think the right name for these fake harmony mongers would be ‘Been-HAD’
for the manner in which they spread lies to divide communities. I could even comically
redefine Anhad as “Act now for hatred and disintegration”!
On the same topic but on a different note DNA carries another article
by Girish Patel (September 21). The
title straightaway indicts and convicts Narendra Modi: ‘Despite Sadbhavna Narendra Modi guilty under international law’. If you read the article carefully, there is
no such international law that exists and India is not a signatory to the
International Court or Tribunal. But the writer’s theory could well be a veiled
invitation for activists like Hashmi, Mandar and Teesta Setalvad to attempt a misadventure. Fact is, Teesta has
already been rapped by the Supreme Court once for writing to the UN about
Gujarat riots and trying to internationalise the matter. I do not know much
about this Girish Patel or what his persuasion is, but I can tell him that the
International Court was created to handle cases from countries whose legal
systems were dubious. By his article Patel clearly rubbishes the justice system
of India. Whatever our shortcomings, India still has a fine judiciary that is
capable of delivering justice. Just because verdicts don’t go your way is no
reason to sling mud at our judiciary system. But that is how media crooks
invent theories.
For all the talk of women’s rights and safety, Shabnam Hashmi had
spewed venom on the Baba Ramdev campaign in early June 2011. Activists like her
and some media channels threw so much mud that it emboldened the central govt
to carry out a brutal midnight violent attack on a huge crowd of peaceful
protesters at the Ramlila grounds. Many were injured but one woman, 51 year old Rajabala, was paralysed for four months and finally died on
September 26. I wonder what Hashmi & Co. have to say about that. Your guess
is as good as mine. After all democracy
or rights or security is not the greatest concern for the hate engineers.
