Gujarat, a very prosperous and vibrant state peopled by one of the most business savvy societies is going through an enigmatic existence today. During the past decade or so even as the state experienced tremendous growth and prosperity in keeping with India’s ongoing growth phase, the state was equally marred by unprecedented intra-hate inspired violence between Hindus and Muslims in this period, and without doubt one person who has been in the centre of controversy for allegedly inspiring deep violence against Muslims by his deliberate omissions and commissions, speeches and silence, is none other than the state’s Chief Minister.

The people of Gujarat now have the opportunity to tell to the world what they think of his role during the riots, passive or active. They are going to have to allow their state regain, in terms of social cohesion, what they gained in terms of economic consolidation. They should not fool themselves into a delirium of evil narcissism, for the prosperity they experience under Narendra Modi cannot be anything but grotesquely incomplete if the policy of deliberate marginalization of its Muslim minority continues with state blessing as it has been with this Chief Minister at the helm of affairs.

Last year Indians in general and Gujaratis in particular were the target of ethnic hate inspired violence in Uganda and some other African countries. Those who masterminded the assault against our countrymen there were at once criticized and condemned. That condemnation was potent and extremely effective because it came from the local Ugandan black political leadership. We can well imagine where the situation may have headed for our people then if that native leadership had even as much as turned a blind eye to the violence against us.

Contrast this with what Muslims in Gujarat, had to go through during the riots and are going through now. It will not be a travesty of truth to say that during the riots the whole machinery of the state was either made to turn a blind eye in favour of those who were involved in some of the most evil acts of physical hate against Muslims or was even involved in some way or other by omission or commission in those unbelievable acts against fellow Indians. We have seen and still see many unacceptable acts of violence by Muslims against innocent fellow countrymen in some parts of the country but no prominent Muslim leader or political bigwig, let alone an elected Chief Minister, will second or give the impression that he seconds such acts, and rightly so. Indians killing Indians has been the hallmark of only one party and that party is none other than Modi’s BJP.

This week elections have been held in Switzerland and those elections have been the most controversial thus far in that peaceful country because the right wing party there had deliberately given the impression that it wanted to get rid of immigrants, especially of the brown/black kind. Doubtless, that party has won majority of seats in the Swiss parliament but a greater majority of Swiss think their country’s reputation has been forever scarred by the hate campaign unleashed by the right wing party, which is why they refused to give the right wing party the full support it required to form a govt on its own.

In the UK whenever the Government there passes a rule that so much as smacks of racism we all rise up with one voice and condemn the same. That is because we Indians have always been against racism and ethnic profiling from the days of Gandhiji who was himself a Gujarati.

Thus one cannot accept that the state of Gujarat should become a vibrant laboratory for intra-Indian hate which is what Narendra Modi has come to stand for in the eyes and minds of the civilized world and in the eyes and minds of all Indians. That he holds no remorse for the riots has been proved time and again, with the latest proof coming from an interview for CNN-IBN with Karan Thapar during which the CM decided to walk out rather than express regret for the violence against Indians by Indians.

The people of Gujarat have a duty now to commit themselves to rid their state of the scar of intra-Indian hate. They need to tell Narendra Modi he is not needed anymore and that he has to go. Gujarat is at a social crossroads.