INDIA: Differences between the ruling BJP and its key allies erupted in the Indian parliament yesterday. It was forced to adjourn over a decision by the World Hindu Council to take the ashes of a trainload of 58 Hindus burnt by a Muslim mob around the country.
Those gruesome killings in western Gujarat state last month led to three days of rioting in which 700 people, mainly Muslims, were slaughtered by Hindu mobs. Opposition parties, the media and human rights activists accused Gujarat's Hindu nationalist government and the local police of aiding mobs in the "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims.
"If this journey (with the ashes) is not stopped, we will be forced to leave the coalition," Raghunath Jha, an important ally, said outside parliament. "We want to remind the government that it is a National Democratic Alliance government and not a government of the World Hindu Council," added Sudip Bandopadhyaya, another valuable partner stated. Their support is crucial to the survival of India's Hindu nationalist BJP-led federal coalition in office.
The council, whose activists were killed in the train returning from the northern Hindu holy town of Ayodhya, said it wanted people to pay respects to the 58 victims who had sacrificed their lives to build a temple to their warrior god, Lord Ram.
• India's upper house of parliament has rejected a controversial anti-terrorism decree branded by critics as draconian, dealing an embarrassing blow to the government. The measure sets strict rules for arrest, interrogation and allows suspects to be detained for 30 days without appearing before a court. Opposition parties and human rights groups say it could be used to harass innocent people and target minority Muslims.
- (Reuters)
