The war of attrition between the National Minorities Commission (NMC) and the BJP-led central government shows no signs of abating. The NMC report for 99, compiled last April in the wake of communal trouble in the Dangs, is a withering indictment of the Gujarat governments handling of the crisis. This, perhaps, explains why this catalogue of the Keshubhai regimes sins of omission is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
Predictably, the Vajpayee government has not been kindly disposed to the NMCs approach. The first rub came in the immediate aftermath of the Dangs violence in December 98. The NMC urged the Centre to invoke Article 256 and 355-both of which express a lack of confidence in the state government and oblige the Centre to intervene during crises. Of course, the suggestion never made it to Parliament.
Sources in the NMC fear the 99 report-the result of two fact-finding missions-too will meet this fate. Especially given its unambiguous tone, as in: "Events (in Gujarat) have seriously wounded minority sentiments and created a feeling of fear, dismay and disillusionment with the national secular, egalitarian tradition".
Outlook has gained access to the report. Some of its findings are:
While coming down heavily on the government, the Commission also issued a set of 30 recommendations. The key ones are:
But the Commissions main worry is that though the Gujarat government has agreed to implement 24 recommendations, theres likely to be a gap between whats promised by Keshubhai Patel and what he actually does. Points out Mahmood, "Politicians as a rule dont take the Commission seriously. They dont follow our recommendations and dont heed our findings." In fact, the BJP-Sena government even issued a warrant last year against Commission members whod gone to Maharashtra to study the targeting of minority educational institutions. Says a member of the Commission, "Whenever an incident happens, state governments are quick to say theyll investigate it. But they dont really mean it. And when we go to find the truth behind a riot, politicians are the first to block us. They are also quick to badmouth us."
Giving scant importance to NMCs findings is understandable given the BJPs view. The partys 98 election manifesto clearly stated their intention of winding up the Commission-this wasnt done to keep NDA allies happy. But the Centre didnt think it obligatory to table NMCs report in Parliament, nor was the Gujarat government pressurised to implement recommendations. This saffron agenda, at least, is overtly articulated.
