"People who go on and on about the 2002 riots, choose to forget that it was the culmination of an endless series of riots. The worst riots in post-partition India happened in 1969 in Ahmedabad; more than 5,000 Muslims were killed in that massacre. But because there was no 24x7 media, riots in those days went largely undocumented, so no one outside got to know of the 1969 riots. It was a small incident involving a cow but it led to a shocking outburst. At that time, Congress Party’s Hitendrabhai Desai was the chief minister while Indira Gandhi was in power at the Centre. During the 1969 riots, our office, factory, everything was burnt down.... Forget about punishment, not even a single charge sheet was filed after that massacre. The Jagmohan Commission report is there for everyone to see. Entire communities were wiped out, without a trace. Why are people not talking about those victims? Has anyone documented what happened to those 5,000 families? Another major riot took place in 1985 preceded by several smaller ones. It went on for months on end. Again, our factory and our house were set on fire. In 1985, Madhavji Solanki of Congress Party was in power in Gujarat and Rajiv Gandhi at the Centre. Between 1985 and 2002, people came to expect that after every 2-3 months there would inevitably be a riot. At one time, the curfew lasted 200 days. During the 1987 riots also, Amar Singh Chaudhury of the Congress Party was the CM. This was followed by riots in 1990. At that time too, Congress Party’s Chimanbhai Patel was the chief minister. Again, our factory was burnt down. In 1992 also, it was set on fire. Chimanbhai Patel was the chief minister even at that time.... The truth is that while the earlier governments remained indifferent; after each riot, the Hindus themselves helped the rehabilitation of Muslims. I always say that if the Gujarati Hindus were 100 per cent communal, the Muslims would have been destroyed long ago. It is because Hindus are not communal that Muslims continue to prosper in Gujarat. All those riots were politically engineered and the Congress Party was the prime culprit."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Zafar Sareshwala, quoted in Kishwar, Madhu (2014). Modi, Muslims and media: Voices from Narendra Modi's Gujarat.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zafar_Sareshwala
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Zafar Sareshwala
14 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Zafar Sareshwala →
Related Quotes
"See how Modi met us! He kept track of what time we arrived in the building and came to the elevator to receive us. I …"
"So I sent an email. I was not apologetic about anything. I wrote plainly, "Yes we had fought Modi. But now we feel th…"
"Because at that time Modiji used to talk of Gujarati asmita [identity], I said to Mr[.] Modi you are a slightly dilut…"
"Then we began talking of all the riots and asked him: what were you doing on the morning of 27 February 2002? Why did…"
"Maulana literally made Modi stand in the dock. It is Modi's maturity that even after winning the election with a thum…"
"Anti-Modi sentiment continues to be orchestrated by the media as the definitive truth, irrespective of what the peopl…"
"It is not just Modi, but the entire Gujarati society has moved on, and is reconstructing a new equation with Muslims.…"
"Please note that when we asked for a meeting with Modi he was not yet a hero but one of the most hated figures; he wa…"
"As soon as he came to know that I had arrived, he got his secretary to call me and find out when I intended to see hi…"
"An important aspect of this riot was that it was not as simple as BJP vs. Muslims or just VHP vs. Muslims. Many Congr…"