It appears that these riots are cut from the same cloth as the sectarian riots that accompanied the partition of India in 1948. While the Moslem community in India was peaceful in the days after the 13 December attack on parliament, the combination of the Ayodhya mosque situation and the lack of resolution of the Kashmir and terrorism situation since 13 Dec has brought previously simmering tensions back to the surface. These riots have featured members of the ruling coalition virtually leading in some of these eruptions of violence. Whether Vajpayee can control his own followers, win the upcoming Parliamentary elections, and restore civilian peace is going to be very questionable indeed. To a large extent, he had in hand a willingness of the Indian Moslem community to acquiese in a mobilization against Pakistan provided that the BJP would preserve the internal status quo. Now radical elements of both the Hindu and Moslem communities have destroyed this delicate balance.

In the past, such crises have been resolved by ascribing the prime cause to perfidious foreigners, which then becomes a causus belli. Vajpayee may be regretting not adopting a more agressive stand in Kashmir prior to the riots, which would have deflected more of the recent criticism his government is rightfully receiving. Reading the Hindustan Times and ToI today gives the reader that the situation is truly out of control, with local Gujarat officials condoning anti Muslim and anti Christian riots.
Posted by Tom Roberts 3/1/2002 4:41:15 PM