‘Maut ke saudagar’ (Merchants of death)

The nation is still waiting for the Congress President to break her silence and tell us who the “maut ke saudagar” are in reference to the Bhopal tragedy. The Congress is running for shelter hither and thither. The Congress started a blame game as usual pointing now at the CBI, the Centre then at the State and then the Judiciary. No matter what it does the fact remains that Anderson cannot leave the country without the green signal from the Centre. It may be Arjun Singh who took the initiative and attended to all that needed be done at the State level. So both the Centre and the State with the Congress at the helm of affairs must own responsibility of this betrayal of the people. The people are no fools so the Congress can stop  indulging in this blame game because it makes it look so hopelessly pathetical and out of a sense of direction-nay even of common sense!

Why is Jayanthi Natarajan and the Congress fuming and fretting at Modi targeting Mrs Sonia Gandhi on the Bhopal gas tragedy? What is there ‘cheap and blatant’ about this.

Granted that the BJP national executive held at Patna was a debacle does that absolve Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the Congress for their hypocrisy and their betrayal of the people?

The Congress has exposed not only its hollowness but blatant treachery. It needs to apologize to the nation. After 26 years of the Bhopal tragedy it is waiting for the GoE ministers to look into all the aspects of the tragedy which is the biggest global disaster-15000 lives snuffed off and lakhs deformed, maimed and physically debilitated.Are the poor of this country such dispensable commodities?

All these years the Congress tried to sweep it under the carpet. Aam admi was sold out for a few millions. What if the BJP was in power at the Centre and in Madhya Pradesh? The ‘maut ke saudagar fits the Congress perfectly because that’s exactly what Rajiv Gandhi and Arjun Singh did. Other agencies right from the CBI down to the cops who escorted Anderson were all obeying faithfully their masters then as it does now and expected to do always.

It is in vain that the Congress spokespersons try and insulate Mrs Sonia Gandhi from this because she is the heir to the legacy otherwise how and why is she what she is,and where she is? She cannot be selective in carrying the legacy baggage to pick and chose. So she needs to apologize to the nation for this genocide of 15000 Indians-all poor and powerless. The shame on the Congress starting from Rajiv Gandhi down is the way it bends backwards to please the foreigners. Are Indians so cheap?

Just see how Quottrrochi was allowed to flee the country, how the money he looted was defreezed with the ‘honest’ Manmohan Singh stating that he was out of the loop. Whether Arjun Singh took the decision to allow Anderson to flee the country or he followed the instructions of Rajiv Gandhi or both the Centre and the State connived in allowing Anderson to escape the law of this land makes no difference. The bottom line being that a foreigner was so smoothly whisked out of this country while thousands lay dying and in agony. Will this be allowed in any other country of the world? Now to rub salt into the burning wounds-all these persons who played  pivotal roles in these cases were not only promoted to higher positions as cabinet ministers but have been in their old age rehabilitated – thus we have Margaret Alva, Bhardwaj and Arjun Singh-all Governors.

Just look at the record of the Congress-Indira Gandhi imposes an Emergency-negates and keeps in abeyance the Constitution of India-lets loose her reign of terror-gags the media-all Freedom of speech and Rights of individuals thrown into the dustbin- to hold on to power. How was the Emergency justified? Was there a civil war? Has the Congress apologized to the nation for this?

Coming to Rajiv Gandhi case if Jayanthi Natarajan is honest and straight forward she must decide who is to apologize to the nation. The Sikh riots in 1984 which was engineered and supervised by Congress leaders who were sheltered and awarded positions in the party and in government-saw more than 3000 Sikhs massacred and women raped and sexually violated. Rajiv Gandhi watched this brutal killing, burning and demolishment of Sikh hamlets unperturbed-allowed this to go on for three full days. After which he coolly stated that when a big tree falls it is natural for the small plants round it to die.Is this not a justification of this pogrom? Who has to apologize to the nation madam Jayanthi? There is a saying in Tamil which she should know- trying to hide a full pumpkin in a plate of rice.

Then he sends the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka -Was it keeping peace or was it engaged in targeting the Tamils-indulging in rape and brutal killings? Today M.Karunanidhi is the cozy ally of the Congress but at that time he did not receive the so called victorious IPKF when it returned because he faulted Rajiv Gandhi for using the Indian force to target and kill Tamils. Power can inflict amnesia on leaders but not on the nation. We do not wear dark glasses to hide the naked truth. The Congress must tell us plainly who has to apologize to the nation.

And again in 1984 Dec 2-3 the poor of Bhopal were gassed- leaving about 15000 dead-the wombs of mothers became tombs-those who survived were crippled and were unable to eke out a livelihood because they were crippled, blinded and deformed.26 long years the Congress watched with no remorse-it was heartless and maintained a stony silence. The deeper you bury the truth it has an uncanny way of resurrecting itself.

Now justice is haunting the Congress but the PM who spent sleepless nights when Haneef was harassed in Australia has suddenly awaken from his stupor and called for the Group of Empowered Ministers to submit its report on the Bhopal tragedy-this after 26 long years of hibernation of the Congress.

The law minister-Veerappa Moily is hectic desperately throwing  straws to the wind- accusations against the judiciary and making promises of law reform, and promise of revisiting the case.The Congress spokespersons are whetting their sound bytes to be aired by the media. The theatre of the absurd show is on. It is in a state of desperation-save Mrs Sonia Gandhi; save Rajiv Gandhi do everything and anything towards this.How many years will it take again for the pathetic and unfortunate survivors to get justice? Is this a strategy of buying time?

And Sonia Gandhi is heading a NAC a jumbo civil society-men and women of substance who are well acquainted in how best to spend the taxpayers’ money- to instill the necessary power to fight for Food security? ‘Lady Bounty’ we need justice not crumbs.This is not from the Congress funds but the taxpayers’ money and Indians are not beggars to wait for your largess. Good governance must and should ensure Food security automatically. Why labor into all these beggary programs when justice was denied, when foreigners who fleeced and snuffed out Indians were allowed to escape the law of the country? The Congress should tell us who has to apologize to the nation.

It is obsessed with the Gujarat riots which were a back lash and Mrs Sonia Gandhi goes to Gujarat and targets Modi with ‘maut ke saudagar’. What you sow you reap. Why, has she alone the license to use such phases against a constitutionally elected Chief Minister? Well then the same can be used against her. For the record of the Gandhis do not absolve them neither does it give them an immunity. The Congress cannot just field spokespersons to cover with hollow words the truth and justice. It is trying to digress and distract the attention by just indulging in Modi bashing.

If Gujarat riots needs to be kept in focus then why not the Sikh riots and now the Bhopal gas victims?
If Babri Masjid has to be year after year brought to the electioneering then why not also the breaking of the locks of the Babri Majid by the orders of Rajiv Gandhi also brought to centre stage?

That’s the starting point of all the communalization of politics. The pot cannot call the kettle black and the Congress spokespersons must realize they cannot any longer live in glass houses and throw stones at others. It would be judicious to own the truth and let Mrs Sonia Gandhi speak for herself and the legacy she is carrying-apologize to the nation. Why does she need spokespersons- is it the intricacies of governance that is being bandied? It is simple truth-facts of history and surely one who heads a Party and who chairs the NAC is capable of facing the brickbats that come along with the bouquets-let her speak for herself. The aam admis are waiting…..

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