Can you throw some light on the incident in Godhra?
I think there was a large-scale mobilisation of VHP people in Ahmedabad. Inspired by Pravin Togadia they were going to Ayodhya. VHP has the strongest base in Gujarat. The atmosphere was surcharged. I would compare this incident with the Bombay blasts of 1992. This was a retaliation by Muslim fundamentalists. What was the provocation here? The mobilisation at Ayodhya was the provocation. Karsevaks were going to Ayodhya with the support of BJP MLAs and MPs. The railways too obliged by giving three extra bogies. One should not forget that at the grassroots level the Sangh Parivar is one. The central and state governments had not taken any serious action to stop this mobilisation. Naturally, when karsevaks pass through such semi-tribal belts, they become a soft target for Muslim fundamentalists. We have to condemn their violence. But no one would buy the [George] Fernandes line that this is an ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] act. This is the result of the mindset of Muslims. It’s the res
