Modi digging Morbi graves proves he can't go beyond Nehru-Gandhis in Gujarat polls
It’s obvious as daylight that PM’s blistering attack at Indira Gandhi is misleading.
The best kind of fake news is the half-truth, wherein the narrative is moved out of gear because of incomplete and indeed misleading information. This is exactly what's happened in the case of Prime Minister Narendra Modi "lamenting" former PM and "Iron Lady" Indira Gandhi's visit to the Gujarati city of Morbi in 1979, when a dam burst had caused a severe deluge that sunk the place and snuffed out almost 4,000 to 5,000 human lives.
India Today magazine, launched in 1975, had a cover story on the Morbi disaster, written by veteran journalist and book critic Sunil Sethi, in those days a young reporter. Titled "Death of a City", the September 1979 story is a harrowing account of a city devastated by floods caused by a burst dam on August 11 of that year, submerging it completely, leaving a trail of drowned bodies – human and animal – and the air "engulfed by the stench of putrefying flesh".
"Bloated animal carcasses and dismembered remains of human bodies were being flung on to trucks like logs to be stacked in burning pyres beyond the Harijan bustees. Eight days after the tumultuous flood, on August 11, the city was still engulfed by the stench of putrefying flesh," read the story.
It further reads: "On August 16, no less than 21 VIPs - all politicians, including Mrs Gandhi - visited the sites of destruction, causing all relief work to come to a standstill for nearly eight hours. But in the chaos that follows a calamity, and on which politicians thrive by virtue of their vested interest, the technical details seem to be deliberately obscured by the horror stories of the aftermath played up in the media."
Prime Minister Modi in Morbi referred to a magazine cover from the Gujarati publication Chitralekha that had put the picture of late PM Indira Gandhi covering her nose, and he used that to declare that Congress has always been pretentious, unloving of the western state.
"When Indira Ben came to Morbi, I remember there was a photo of her in the Chitralekha magazine with a hanky over her nose due to the foul smells, but for Jansangh/Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) the streets of Morbi are fragrant; it's the fragrance of humanity," PM Modi said, as reported by ANI.
When Indira Ben came to Morbi,I remember there was a photo of her in Chitralekha magazine with a hanky over her nose due to the foul smells, but for Jansangh/RSS the streets of Morbi are fragrant,its the fragrance of humanity: PM Modi #GujaratElections2017 pic.twitter.com/YJasuCNfMS
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2017
WATCH: PM Modi speaking at a rally in Gujarat's Morbi https://t.co/MG4ay2fEhN
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2017
For Congress, 'development' was giving hand pumps. For BJP, it is SAUNI Yojana and large pipelines that carry Narmada waters: PM Modi in Morbi #GujaratElections2017 pic.twitter.com/jmeqFmTByL
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2017
It's obvious as daylight that PM's blistering attack at Indira Gandhi is misleading, just like his blaming the Congress for the GST mess and the protests in Surat by textile traders was erroneous, looking to transfer the responsibility to the principle Opposition party.
While the GST blame backfired, the Morbi tirade against Indira Gandhi obfuscated the fact almost every government functionary as well as many of those helping with the relief work, including RSS workers and Jan Sangh cadre, had protective cloth-masks on, for hygiene's sake.
As the Machchhu dam located near Morbi burst on August 11, 1979, 4,000-5,000 people perished, along with several thousands of animals. Moreover, Chitralekha magazine cover had the photo of both Indira Gandhi visiting the drowned city as well as relief workers wearing cloth-masks lugging corpses on carts. It was a site where death and destruction hung heavy in the air, and the pungent smell of rotting flesh stung everyone alike.
Baiting Nehru-Gandhis
So why would PM Modi misuse historical memory - a traumatic one at that - in a Gujarat election campaign speech? Short answer: because he can, and the contradiction, which has already come, would only play catch up.
I had covered Morbi disaster for ‘Dinank’ weekly. Most of the volunteers and visiting dignitaries had worn masks.There were hundreds decaying corpses. It was medically advised to do so. Seems, Modi has lost his senses. https://t.co/441NsMRxUZ
— nikhil wagle (@waglenikhil) November 29, 2017
Not just today in Morbi, PM Modi has been baiting the Nehru-Gandhis ever since the Gujarat poll campaign took off. From saying that Congress hates Gujarat and intentionally underrepresented stalwarts from the western state, particularly Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - incidentally independent India's first deputy prime minister who happened to ban the RSS in 1948 - PM Modi has also asserted that Somnath temple wouldn't have been built but for Patel, because Nehru wasn't happy with the idea.
Watch: In-Charge Communications @rssurjewala debunks the fabricated entry of Rahul Gandhi at the Somnath Temple register. #ShameOnYouBJP pic.twitter.com/mq2exKYwPc
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 29, 2017
In addition, the BJP IT cell has been questioning Rahul Gandhi's religion, and whether or not he's a Hindu has become a political talking point because BJP leaders have tweeted a photo alleging the Congress vice-president isn't Hindu.
It's sad that communal polarisation has at last caught up with the Congress, and its poll mascot.
Gujarat: 9 children, a woman & a man rescued from flood-like situation, triggered by heavy rain, by NDRF in Morbi's Tankara. pic.twitter.com/HV7ZfE5mVt
— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2017
It must be noted that floods in Gujarat in August this year, caused by heavy rain, also engulfed Morbi, and the NDRF was called in. While PM Modi conducted aerial survey of the flood ravaged state, he didn't really step down, to walk among the sufferers and the dead.
On what basis then is the PM taking potshots at a predecessor who merely put a cloth on her nose but didn't shy away from commiserating with the victims?