Editor, the Gauntlet,
Re: "Politicians fuel the Indian fire," March 7, 2002,
While Chris Morrision hit the nail on the head in blaming BJP politicians for fueling the killings in India, he lets the so called "secular" Nehru-Gandhi family off easy. Thousands of Sikh Canadians-including my neighbour in Calgary who shaved his hair to escape-will recall the horror of 1984 when countless Sikhs were killed in Delhi following the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi while politicians from then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s "secular" Congress party fuelled the fire. Make no mistake, politicians from all political parties in India have played and continue to play the dangerous game of communal politics.
As for Pakistan, the governments of which gave birth to Taliban and supported the terrorism in Kashmir can hardly claim to be the protector of minorities. Despite these misguided Hindu fundamentalists, India with its overall proud record of multiculturalism, will survive this recent tragedy.