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The Rediff Interview/ Keshubhai Patel

'Why should I apologise for everything that is happening in the state?'

G ujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has come under fire from religious groups, opposition parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party itself for the continuing attacks against Christians and the desecration of churches in the state.

But master politician he is, Patel has succeeded in convincing both the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre and the BJP leadership that everything in his state is fine and that the people of different minority communities are living peacefully.

After presenting his report on the communal incidents in the state to the national executive of the BJP in Bangalore on January 2, Patel spoke to George Iype,explaining how the Congress and some religious groups have blown out of proportion the criminal incidents in Gujarat.

Why is it that Gujarat is in the grip of communal clashes between the Hindus and Christians?

It is wrong to term some of the sporadic criminal incidents in the state as communal violence. But for our political rivals like the Congress, Gujarat is the ideal state for creating a communal violence-like situation. Gujarat is being ruled by the BJP and there is a BJP-led government at the Centre also. Therefore, the Congress and Opposition politicians think that whipping up communal frenzy in the state is the right political course to destabilise the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. But sadly, their efforts to make people slap and stab each other have been exposed.

But attacks against Christians and churches begun some three months back in Gujarat and they have escalated in the past two weeks. Hasn't your government failed to take action?

It is ridiculous to state that I did not take action. Go to the state and see how I am protecting the churches and temples across the state. We have deployed hundreds of police personnel to ensure protection to religious places of worship irrespective of whether they are churches, temples or mosques.

Despite security protection, churches have been burnt down and destroyed in the state.

We feel even the Church groups are trying to blow out of proportion small incidents. Yes, it is true that some criminals and miscreants destroyed make-shift buildings which Christians call as chapels. Some of them are huts. So when the media reports this, it says that a big church building has been destroyed, giving false impression to the public. But though the Christians attacked temples also in the state, it has not been reported in the media.

But whether small or big, a religious place is a place of worship. So why didn't' your government take action against those who burnt down the churches?

I am not saying that the government does not want to protect make-shift buildings which are churches in tribal areas. But I am just saying it is easy for the miscreants to destroy a hut-like church. We have taken prompt action against the culprits.

Do you think the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Jagran Manch are responsible for the attacks on Christians in Gujarat?

Absolutely no. Our intelligence reports state that the VHP is not at all involved in the violence. As for the Gujarat Jagran Manch, it has nothing to do with the BJP. It is an independent organisation in the Dangs district. We are just probing to find out whether the Manch has been involved in the incidents.

But the violence began when your government gave permission to the Manch to hold a protest rally against Christians on Christmas day?

My government gave permission for the rally because at that time there was no tension between Christians and Hindus in the Dangs district. But the whole thing begun when Christians threw stones at the procession. The situation took a vicious turn when some tribal Christians attacked a temple. But these things do not get reported in the English press because glorifying minor incidents as attacks against Christians is an easy way to internationalise and communalise a small issue.

The VHP has stated that its crusade against conversions and Christian missionaries in Gujarat and other state will be stepped up. Do you expect more attacks and violence?

I cannot answer questions as to what the VHP and other organisations will do. The VHP's action plans, statements, accusations etc do not concern the BJP and its governments in the state and the Centre. The VHP is also an independent organisation and it has the right to do whatever it likes as its agenda. But I would say that VHP's crusade against forcible conversions of tribal Hindus to Christianity in India is an issue to which all sensible people would agree.

Who do you think is blowing the incidents in Gujarat out of proportion?

The Congress and the press. In Karnataka some seven people died of communal clashes last week. But I did not find a public outcry on the issue either from the Congress or the other political parties. But the Congress decided to take out a protest rally against my government in Gandhinagar. Why is it not taking out a similar rally in Karnataka?

Are you going to order a judicial inquiry into the incidents in Gujarat?

No. There is no need for a judicial inquiry.

How do you react to the Samata Party's demand for your dismissal?

The Samata Party has no moral right to demand my dismissal. It should understand that the Union home ministry promptly sent a team of central officials to my state and investigated the incidents independently. Let the Samata Party talk to the home minister first before putting forward this kind of a demand.

But the central team held the Manch responsible for the violence.

I have not seen the Centre's report. But the Manch has nothing to do the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. It is a separate organisation in the Dangs district. So if I find that its members are instigating violence, I am ready to take action.

Your actions seem to suggest that you have a soft corner for the Hindutva forces. Last year, the Bible was burned in Gujarat and you refused to issue a public apology.

Why should I apologise for everything that is happening in the state? In fact, Christians apologised for forcibly asking adolescents to sign on the last page of the Bible that they were embracing Christianity. I received complaints from parents in this regard. I hold the view that it is wrong to burn holy books. But it is also wrong to forcibly convert anyone to another religion.

Do you think the attack on churches have resulted in an uneasy relationship between your government, the BJP, the Sangh Parivar and the Vajpayee government?

No. Why should it strain our relationship? Neither the BJP nor the Sangh Parivar can be blamed for the stray incidents of violence in my state. As chief minister, I am doing my duty to protect the people of different communities irrespective of their caste, creed or religion.

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