Ahmedabad, July 06: Narendra Modi’s move to set up a commission to inquire into the shifts in the demographic profile of the state since Independence has been greeted with immense scepticism.
The Commission, be headed by retired judge B.J. Sethna, will not only look into the reasons behind the “polarisation” and migration of the population, but will also come up “recommendations and policies” for stopping the polarisation of population in the state. It is expected to complete its task by 2011.
The sudden announcement of the commission has taken everyone with surprise.
“If at all there is an issue involving the settlement of minorities in Gujarat, then this would be the one pertaining to the rehabilitation of the people who were displaced by 2002 riots,” said Dr Shakil Ahmed, president of the Islamic Relief Committee.
Ahmed also said with a controversial retired judge heading the committee, it would generate all the more discomfort amongst people.
Justice Sethna had upheld the decision of the fast- track court order acquitting all the accused in the infamous Best Bakery case. The retired judge was also involved in a fisticuff with a fellow judge in the Gujarat High Court in 2007, following which he was transferred to Sikkim.
Sethna had resigned thereafter.
The Gujarat government has, however, made it clear that it wants the committee to bring out the long-term shift in demography as opposed to the claims made by a section of media and NGOs. “A need was felt for a long term clinical study to understand the movement of population and identify areas where the state government could help,” government spokesperson Jay Narayan Vyas said. “We have nothing to hide and that is why we have gone ahead and appointed a commission instead of a committee, the findings of which would be placed before the Assembly,” he added.
Lawyer activist Mukul Sinha, however, felt that the move would help Narendra Modi to shift the blame of growing ghettos in Ahmedabad on the Congress, as most of such migration had taken place after the riots in 1969 and in the eighties.
Human rights activist Fr Cedric Prakash called the move “surreptitious”. “The very nature of this so- called Commission of Inquiry is bound to target the minorities in the state and add to their fears,” he said.
–Agencies