Modi Glorification by "TIME" magazine with an unethical article.

Expressing outrage at the Time magazine's cover story on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Muslims of Gujarat have called for an international campaign against the prestigious weekly through email, letters and social media networks - Twitter and Facebook. 

"This is an unethical article. We don't expect such a glorification of someone who was involved in massacre of Muslims in Gujarat 10 years ago, Mufti Rizwan Tarapuri of Gujarat, State Convener of All India Milli Council, said that Muslims of Gujarat are deeply hurt by the "glorification" of its recent article on Modi, the cover story of its latest issue of the Asia edition.

Mufti Farid Kavi of Jambusar and Active member of Jamiat Ulama Hind (JUH) said that he was instrumental in getting Modi's US visa revoked. He denounced the Time magazine's glorification of Modi as "bad journalism and an obscenely insensitive act", as it was perpetrated during the 10th anniversary commemoration of Gujarat pogrom. 

"I am deeply distressed by two recent articles on Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. One is byTime magazine and the other is by Brookings Institution. Journalism or reporting is supposed to be balanced and impartial. I am surprised why only those, who have praised Modi, have been quoted," state Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil toldreporters here.Brookings Institution also recently published an interview of Modi, praising him for the work done by his government for the development of Gujarat.

Zuber Gopalani , social activist from Baroda, said that today Narendra Modi came in line of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Husain, Hitler and Gaddafi. All these so-called leaders had some time captured front cover if TIME. Only those leaders?? Are quoted who praised Modi, the detail given to times is by Modi Government. All knows he is a media Manager.

"He will never be able to lead India because majority of Indians believes in secularism, they will never come under the false propaganda by Modi and his party. People in India are peace loving and want to keep unity in diversity. NDA itself is decided on Narendra Modi and his projection as PM in waiting.He will always remain as PM-in-Waiting," said Zuber Gopalani. 

Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ, Director of Prashant, a leading NGO, said that the publishers and the editorial board of TIME Magazine have clearly demonstrated how insensitive and ill-informed they are to the ground realities of Gujarat and the fact, that thousands of victim-survivorsof the Gujarat Carnage 2002 are still desperately waiting for justice. TIME also proves that truth can very conveniently be surpressed in order to cater to the political agenda of a few.On the flip-side, it's not the first time, that TIME Magazine has considered it 'appropriate' to highlight thedeeds of fascists and dictators of the world.

Teesta Setalvad of Mumbai told that even while Indian Courts are yet to assess whether the Evidence collected by invetigators appointed by India's Supreme Court on material filed in the Mrs. Zakia Ahsan Jafri and Citizens for Justice case make out a case to prosecute Narendra Modi, chief minister Gujarat and Cabinet Colleagues, Administratos and Policemen, a US based Magazine supposedly "liberal" and Brookings Institute collectively promote him as the promoter of inclusive development (sic) and a future national leader. Quite apart from the selective facts reflected in both pieces of work, the timing is significant. Weeks after the tenth anniversary of independent India's worst ever anti minority carmage, during which Indian newspapers and periodicals accurately showcased the state of the victim community in Gujarat as also the progress of the cases, the fact that overall figures of Gujarat's economic and social development have been manipulated exposes both exercises for the poor but highly motivated public relations exercises that they are.

Modi's regime not just in 2002 but over the past ten years typifies a post pogrom autocratic reality living within "democratic" numbers; lived fascism if you like. Both need to be protested even as we have questions about the sources. In the five years between 2004-05 and 2009-10, Gujarat’s per capita income nearly doubled from Rs 32,021 to Rs 63,961.

In the same period its neighbour Maharashtra, the perceived languishing laggard, saw its per capita income grow from Rs 35,915 to Rs 74,027. Several states besides Gujarat have shown double digit growth in their gross domestic product (the value of goods and services produced in a year) in recent years, and Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have bigger economies. Gujarat now runs a revenue deficit—it spends more than it earns—and its surplus has disappeared. Several other states have improved their fiscal positions meanwhile. 

Five states passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act before Gujarat did in 2005, and 20 states preceded Gujarat in implementing value-added tax. Surplus power? Several states, including some in the North-East, have that. Agricultural growth? And did the Narmada project, which preceded Modi, have nothing to do with it?

Mallika Sarabhai, a renowed activist of Ahmedabad told that it is appalling how a good PR firm and lots of money can by a cover and a cover story that is factually so false. 

Renowed social activist Dr. J. S. Bandukwala, Baroda, said, "The last ten years have been difficult for the Muslims of Gujarat. Muslims have been almost completely cut off from the political- administrative machinery in Gujarat. Further the absence of justice has been so blatant that even moderate people like me have lost faith in the justice system within Gujarat. Narendra Modi has done everything possible to see that the VHP / BD killers are not touched.The only case in which we found justice in Gujarat has been Sardarpura, where about 30 Patels have been sentenced to life for the killing of about 33 Muslims. Note that on the Sabarmati train case 11 Muslims were sentenced to death, while over 20 are in for life."

Social activist from Rajkot Faruk Abdul Gaffar Bawani strongly rejected The Time story and told that it was a panted story by Modi PR agency> His photo on cover page will not work for him to come out of clean from Muslim carnage of 2002.

[Written by: Abdul Hafiz Lakhani is a senior Journalist based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Gujarat). He can be reached at lakhani63@yahoo.com or on his cell 09228746770]