The modern Angulimala
By Justice Markandey Katju
In Buddhist literature there is a mention of Angulimala, a notorious and ferocious dacoit in ancient India who would cut off people's 'angulis' ( fingers ) and make garlands of them, which he would wear on his neck. Later, under the influence of Lord Buddha he became reformed, and became a saint.
Narendra Modi is the modern Angulimala. All his life in politics, first as Chief Minister of Gujarat ( 2001-2014 ) and then as Prime Minister of India ( 2014-2024 ) he propagated religious polarisation and hatred of the Muslim minority in India, who constitute about 15% of India's population of 1400 million, i.e. about 200 million.
At an early age he became a member of the RSS, an organisation which is rabidly communal and a hater of Muslims. All members of the RSS have to carefully study and imbibe the ideas in the book 'Bunch of Thoughts' by former head of RSS M.S.Golwalkar ( Guruji ) in which venom has been spouted against Muslims. Modi no doubt must have done that
When he became Chief Minister of Gujarat Modi was complicit in the massacre of over 2000 innocent Muslims in 2002
After he became Prime Minister of India, atrocities against Muslims increased exponentially, and his whole politics was based on inciting and spreading hatred of Muslims in India. In all public meetings that was the thrust of his speeches.
Lynchng of Muslims ( allegedly for eating/selling beef ), attacking and brutally beating them for not saying 'Jai Shri Ram', bulldozing their houses, arresting and imprisoning them for long periods on false charges of sedition, terrorism, etc became the order of the day during Modi's rule, and became common phenomena. Whenever such incidents happened, Modi would maintain a stony silence, instead of condemning such dastardly and barbaric acts, as if he had nothing to do with them.
Of course, like Hitler, Modi was always smart enough to cover the tracks of his misdeeds. Just as no written order of Hitler directing extermination of Jews has ever been found, so also there is no written order of Modi directing atrocities on Muslims. It was all done by oral orders, to avoid creating evidence.
Modi attempted to 'saffronise' all state and educational institutions, taking the country backward into the middle ages.
His recent speech in Banswara, Rajasthan, in which he called Indian Muslims 'ghuspethias' ( foreign infiltrators ) crossed all levels of decency
But now in his very recent interview to Rubika Liyaquat, an ardently pro-Modi journalist of News18 channel, Modi has executed a 180 degree turn and somersault. He has stated that he never did Hindu-Muslim politics, ( though in fact that is all he did throughout his political life ). He also said that if he did Hindu-Muslim politics he would be unfit for public life.
Suddenly Angulimala has become a saint! As is said '' Nau sau choohe kha ke billi Haj ko chali''.
This reminds one of Ronald Ziegler, Press Secretary to US President Richard Nixon, who coined the term 'inoperative'.
Whenever someone told him that what he was saying now was directly contrary to what he had stated earlier, he would say that his earlier statement was 'inoperative'--not incorrect, not misinformed, not untrue—simply inoperative, like a battery gone dead.
Our modern Angulimala's all earlier acts and statements are 'inoperative'.
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court. These are his personal views.)
