Congratulations to the people of Bihar, you’ve shown the way to India.

Mike Ghouse

Congratulations to the Grand Alliance, a coalition of the centrist parties banded together to save India from being taken over by the right leaning National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP. The Bihar assembly elections were fought in 243 constituencies, and winning coalition needed to secure at least 122 seats to form the government.
Congratulations to the Grand alliance, they are in the lead as of this minute, 12:10 Indian Time;

BJP + ( BJP, LJP, HAM, RLSP) - 63

JD(U)+ (JD(U), RJD, INC) - 158

Others (SP, JAP, AIMIM) -10

Democracy has won, and fascism is going to be gone.

What goes up must come down; it is the law of nature.  Whenever an individual, a community, party or a nation leans towards usurping the freedoms of people, it soon will come to an end.  

Freedom is the most precious thing in every one’s life; it is so precious that it is worth fighting for. Indeed, that is the only thing I will fight for.

I am not a supporter of either BJP or Congress or its new avatar Grand Alliance, but an independent who wants the best party in India to win.

BJP lost because of their arrogance and they have a big lesson to learn – drop the Ahankar, shelve the arrogance and treat every Indian as an Indian.  It is not Modi, but Modi’s evil silence that got them into trouble. The nation was burning, the freedoms were usurped, murders, rapes and vandalism were committed by Modi’s party, and he remained silent, as if that will bring him the ultimate – subjugation of the Indians who did disagree with his policies.   

The Alliance had lost the 2014 elections, not because of Modi, but because of their ineptness and ineffective governance, despite having a better economic record than the U. S., and U.K. Modi swept in when they were unable to effectively counter him.

The essence of democracy is dissent, and the signs of fascism are conformity with complete control of the systems by an individual or a few individuals, and it is achieved by taking away your right to speak, read, write, eat, drink, wear and believe whatever your rights that are guaranteed in constitution.

The campaign was embarrassing, the biggest chumcha of Modi, who keeps Modi sheltered from News and what’s happening around him, and Modi himself was calling on the people of Bihar to be divisive.  Indians are sick and tired of that rhetoric, for once they wanted to hear, we are all Indians and no one is less or better Indian than the others. That sickness transferred into people punishing.

A majority of Indians are indeed tolerant and respectful of fellow Indians; it is the men and women in the saffron brigade that are intolerant.  The intolerance that is growing, if not checked, will enflame India and end up Kuch ka vikaas baqi sab ka satyanas.

We thank the people of Bihar for doing the right thing.

We want India to be a safe place for every Indian, yes, every Indian, including you, Modi, Hindus, Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Baha’is, Jews and every Indian with no exception. Would you join us?

Excellent analysis on Bihar Polls -http://www.thehindu.com/elections/bihar2015/bihar-elections-in-numbers/article7832962.ece

Dr. Mike Ghouse is committed to build cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  His India Blog is maintained since 1999 –http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com

Congratulations Mr. Narendra Modi!

SUMMARY OF ARTICLES WRITTEN IN 2014
http://mikeghouse.net/Articles/Narendra-Modi-India.asp
 

Congratulations Mr. Narendra Modi!
CAVEAT EMPTOR -PLEASE READ THE DISCLOSURE AT BOTTOM

A few Muslims and Christians may find it difficult to read the phrase, “Congratulations Mr. Modi”- they feel a sense of betrayal in congratulating the “Butcher of Gujarat” or Hindutva forces that “raped the Nuns”.  The Muslim-Christian apprehensions are indeed legitimate and need to be addressed,  and I hope Mr. Modi will take this up and bring a closure to this.  

On his part, Mr. Modi has made statements to include every Indian, "sab ka sath, sab ka vikas" - i.e., together, everyone's prosperity.  I hope and pray that he will stand by his words. Meanwhile, we have to move forward. 

The time to argue and challenge was lost on May 12, 2014. Whatever needed to be done should have been done at the ballot, and the Modi won the ballot.  An overwhelming majority of Indians chose to trust his words about inclusive development, and on his part,  he has stayed away from communalizing the elections process, which invariably appealed to the voters. We have to honor the verdict of the people of India, and it does not mean we cannot differ and continue to seek redressing the injustices to fellow Indians, but rather work as a team to solve the problems of the nation and uplift the common man, as opposed to spending our time in tearing each other apart with nothing to gain. 

The Dalits, Muslims and Christians have voted for Modi in similar percentages as the mainstream Hindu and other communities have, those are the hard numbers. Dalits have clearly abandoned their Rakhwala's (claimants and protectors) and voted for Modi. Likewise the good polls predicted Muslims could influence the outcomes for 222 MP's, and they did, not the congress or Samajawadi party, but Modi.  Congress and SP's should have won over 150 seats clearly if they had the Muslim and Dalit support, which they did not.  In fact, Modi has earned an inclusive mandate from all communities.  This needs to be dug deeper. We have to look at his statements in the last phase of the elections. In numerous interviews Mr. Modi has done what was needed to be done – articulate his vision for one India and inclusive growth.

The past has to come to an end, and for most Indians, it ended on May 16, and from the 17^th  a new era of action has begun. We have to go forward and focus on nation building . 

On my part,  I pledge to give my support in building a cohesive India, where no Indian is denied equal access, opportunity and justice to become a participant and a contributor to the overall growth of the nation, and more importantly no Indian has to live in fear of the other. I will be happy to part take in such efforts as needed, as my sacred duty to my motherland.   

A full op-ed is in the writing, and I hope to articulate the need to support Mr. Modi, while seeking redressing of justice for the victims of Gujarat Massacre. He also wants justice and will remain innocent until proven guilty of direct involvement.  

Congratulations Mr. Modi, the Indians have placed their trust in you, and now it is up to you to provide the leadership in building prosperity and bring cohesion to the children of India.

Mike Ghouse, is a Public Speaker, thinker and a writer committed to offer pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Thank you
Jai Hind



mike
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk

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Narendra Modi's speech on Good governance (5/19/14)

This is one of the best speeches Modi has delivered on good governance and a developmental economic model. Some may say that someone else may have written it, that is fine, but he has owned it by delivering it so eloquently and I hope he means every word of it. http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2014/05/narendra-modis-speech-on-good.html

US Policy on Modi needs to Change (5/16/14)

I do hope, President Obama puts his differences aside, and values the verdict of the people of India, it is not a simple majority, it is a huge majority. Let's give Modi a chance and trust our democracy and support him in his plans - as he has articulated it in his interview time and again. http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/05/us-policy-on-india-and-modi-needs-to.html

The bigger news of Modi is India wins (5/16/14)

The bigger news is that “India has won” as Modi has put it. An ordinary person has made it to the top, that is the sign of a true democracy, and it’s a positive motivation to the common Indian man – A chai wallah can make it so I one can make it too, if I have the dedication and commitment to do it. http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-bigger-news-of-modi-win.html

India's Modi on His Best Behavior: Can We Trust Him? (5/9/14)

We criticize individuals with the idea of wanting them to reset their course and get back on the righteous path of justice, humility, truth and respect for every life. Here is an effort to invoke Mr. Modi to follow "rajdharma," or good governance. Democracy and pluralism (i.e., respecting the otherness of others) runs in our veins, so let's have faith in our system. If Mr. Modi fails us, we can dump him through ballot or a no-confidence vote, as we did with Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee. To attain greatness and a place in the annals of history, Mr. Modi has a lot more to prove than we can demand. Continued at Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-modi-on-his-best-behavior-can-we-trust-him_b_5280892.html#es_share_ended

Time Magazine changed the Times man of the year (4/23/14)

TIME heeded to Mike's activism on the issue and has now removed the 6 million votes generated from Modi's autobots that were cast yesterday. In the final result now on display at the TIME 100 Poll page, Arvind Kajriwal has been declared the winner and Modi now has voted as the most disliked person in the list with the largest number of NO votes. http://time.com/73538/indian-politician-arvind-kejriwal-wins-time-100-readers-poll/

Modi, Kejriwal become Time's 'most influential' people thanks to dodgy poll and online fan club (4/23/14)

Dallas-based multi-faith peace activist Mike Ghouse says he did exactly that to confirm his suspicion, clicking several times from the same computer to record multiple votes. "This is a serious issue of integrity of the Time Magazine," he said in an email. "Can Time audit its computers to determine how many clicks have come from the same computer?" Obviously, the online battle has no bearing on reality. But the winner will take home the momentary bragging rights of being "elected" Time magazine's most influential person in the world, even though the more important verdict will come on May 16.  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-Kejriwal-become-Times-most-influential-people-thanks-to-dodgy-poll-and-online-fan-club/articleshow/34123215.cms

 

India's experiment with clean politics (3/13/2014)

Years ago, India ranked # 1 on the list of corrupt nations in the world, and today it is not. Despite the economic, social, cultural frictions we have, we are inherently a pluralistic democracy. http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/03/indias-experiment-with-clean-politics.html

Modi's Nakshatras are not in his favor (12/23/13)

Narendra Modi's Nakshatras (stars) are not in his favor, and the Grahan (eclipse) is hovering over him like a dark shadow casting its Rahu Kala (inauspicious times). His run for the Prime Ministership is ashubh (unlucky) for the 2014 elections. We recommend him to withdraw from the race, finish the current term as the Chief Minister of the state and lay a solid foundation for the next run. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Narendra-Modi-s-Nakshatras-by-Mike-Ghouse-Anti-christian_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Business_Congress-131227-999.html -  It was also published as an interview at Saudi Gazette. http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140227196984

India's future, Narendra Modi and moving forward (11/04/13)

Unfortunately, the majoritarian attitudes of a few harm India's harmony and adversely affect her prosperity. They harass, threaten and use violence to teach the minorities, women and the weak how to behave, and put them in their place. It is like letting the air out of one of the tires, hurting all of us in the end.

The 1984 Sikh Genocide, the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, burning of Hindu Passengers in Godhra and Massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, the rapes of Nuns, Dalits and destruction of Churches are among the ugly cruelties we have witnessed since independence in 1947. It is a shameful blot on the civility of our Mother; India. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-future-narendra-mo_b_4177079.html

Another 25 Pieces are written prior to it - they are all in Google search, http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com and  Sulekha.com

How it all began:

I have been a severe critic of Mr. Modi, and have written and published articles ever since the Gujarat genocide. It started out with organizing a public demonstration against the riots in the first week of March 2002 in front of the old court house in Downtown Dallas.  This was followed by hosting events to show the horrors of the Massacre with Shabnam Hashmi and others to a program to commemorate the  Gujarat Genocide in a public forum on January 26, 2014 as a part of the 7^th annual Holocaust and Genocides event.  

Some of my fellow Hindu Indians (friends at one time)  in Dallas and on forums across the world started hating me and my presence without understanding that someone or the other has to speak up, and some of the hardcore Hindutva fanatics still do, they have clearly not understood the essence of democracy is to give voice to differing opinions and to stand up for the discriminated ones.   

Then some of the Muslims started hating me intensely for my endorsement of Vajpayee’s call to Muslims to join the BJP. We have to be engaged in the society – the answer is as simple as that. None of us can live in pens and expect the world to know us, and us to know others. Quran clearly calls the best one among us are those who "know" each other, knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view - then comes the peace.

You and I have the freedom today because people have opposed and stood up against a singular way of thinking and shunning diversity.  Diversity of thought and expression is a necessity to build cohesive societies.

A lot of articles have been written since then, some preserved at Sulekha.com and at http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
 

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C A V E A T   E M P T O R

I have been critical of Mr. Modi ever since Gujarat Massacre took place in 2002, and have been an activist and written extensively about the policies to govern. I have consistently sought justice for the victims of Gujarat and restoration of their livelihood and recommended on building desegregated societies for the ultimate good of India, but rarely have I sought the pound of flesh. In the last two weeks, however, I have written optimistic notes about Mr. Modi, based on his interviews and his speeches.  In the coming 100 days, IF I see his actions match his good words, and he does some praischit as a part of the raj dharma, I will admire that human quality in him, and would believe that he has the potential to be become one of the visionaries of India like Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru who was instrumental in building a stable democracy, that his daughter could not undo. Because of my write ups, I continue to lose a few my friends and that is ok, I don't need friends like that. We have to learn to live with our differences, and my commitment remains  building cohesive pluralistic societies and I like the new found inclusive language of Modi.
 

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
 

The bigger News of Modi win - Congratulations to Mr. Modi

THE BIGGER NEWS OF MODI WIN
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-bigger-news-of-modi-win.html

The bigger news is that “India has won” as Modi has put it. An ordinary person has made it to the top, that is the sign of a true democracy, and it’s a positive motivation to the common Indian man – A chai wallah can make it so I one can make it too, if I have the dedication and commitment to do it.

Congratulations to Mr. Modi - he worked hard for it and earned it.
It reminds me of Obama – an ordinary son of an immigrant made it, and the world cried with him. http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/Obama-brings-tears-of-Joy.asp

As a Pluralist, I applaud Modi for the following statement in the interview. When asked specifically whether he would make an effort to reach out to every citizen, including Muslims, Mr. Modi replied:

I will never go by this terminology of yours. Even if you drag me, I will not. I will meet my countrymen. I understand only one language that they are my countrymen, they are my brothers. You may see with whatever colour you want, Modi will not go into that colour.

Good for him! Again, I hope he means it.

If Mr. Modi fulfills the terms of "rajdharma" (good governance) and takes care of the items listed above, he will earn the trust of the people.

Every Indian, with no exception, wants a leader who is just, fair, humble and righteous. It's a fallacy and roguish to believe that Dalits, Muslims, Christians and others want handouts. On the contrary, all they want is fairness, justice, equal access and equal opportunity.

If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of the 1.25 billion of us, then conflicts will fade and solutions will emerge.

Democracy and pluralism (i.e., respecting the otherness of others) runs in our veins, so let's have faith in our system. If Mr. Modi fails us, we can dump him through ballot or a no-confidence vote, as we did with Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee. To attain greatness and a place in the annals of history, Mr. Modi has a lot more to prove than we can demand.

I wrote this on 4/23 and shared it with Dr. Bharat Barai to include his quote, and the article was published on 5/09

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-modi-on-his-best-behavior-can-we-trust-him_b_5280892.html

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

This is a great statement from Modi, and once again, I will have to see if his actions will match his words. I pray things go well for every Indian without regard to ones faith, regionality or language.  My last article before the closure of elections at Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-modi-on-his-best-behavior-can-we-trust-him_b_5280892.html#es_share_ended

These are good words, almost sound like I wrote them. If he is true and mean it,  I am looking forward to a true progress.  

 

"This is the right time to look ahead. It is a time to connect with each other. Lets place people over politics, hope over despair, healing over hurting, inclusion over exclusion and development over divisiveness. It is natural for the spirit of bipartisanship to get temporarily lost in the midst of an election campaign but now is the time to resurrect it," Modi said on his blog.

Mike Ghouse

Now, Narendra Modi dons statesman’s cap

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Now-Narendra-Modi-dons-statesmans-cap/articleshow/35041071.cms

 

 

NEW DELHI: With the Lok Sabha elections coming to an end and exit polls pointing to a BJP victory, Narendra Modi on Monday said it was time to resurrect the spirit of bipartisanship in Indian politics which was temporarily lost in the poll campaign.

"This is the right time to look ahead. It is a time to connect with each other. Lets place people over politics, hope over despair, healing over hurting, inclusion over exclusion and development over divisiveness. It is natural for the spirit of bipartisanship to get temporarily lost in the midst of an election campaign but now is the time to resurrect it," Modi said on his blog.

Admitting that this was a hard-fought election which witnessed both joyous and heated moments, Modi said, "Now is the time to put the heat and dust of the campaign behind and look ahead. Irrespective of who wins on the 16th, the dreams of a billion Indians should not suffer."

He said though political parties and candidates have differing ideologies, "but our goal is one — to work for India and to fulfill the aspirations of our youth".

Modi, however, took a swipe at Congress saying the ruling party, which sets the poll agenda, had neither been proactive nor responsive, but reactive and lauded the NDA for being firmly focused on its agenda of development and good governance, even while calling for peace.

"There were attempts to digress from these issues but we remained firm," he said, apparently referring to the political discourse on his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Modi said the 2014 elections will stand out for the increased turnout and gave credit to people for being "undisputed winners" .

He also expressed gratitude to the Election Commission for conducting the mammoth exercise. He had attacked the EC and accused it of being "partisan" during the campaigning. "I congratulate the EC and the entire election and security staff for their continuous efforts during the entire election," he said.

He also lauded the role of social media and said due to it, "lies and false promises" of several leaders could not go beyond the podiums of their rallies and called for more power to social media.

"It has caused the downfall of manufactured lies and half-truths at a very nascent stage ... In this age of information and social media, the lies that come out of their microphones cannot even get past the podium of their speech venues, forget reaching others. More power to social media in the days ahead," he said.

India Elections - a perfect interview with Maulan Madani

THE PERFECT INTERVIEW WITH MAULANA MADANI - INDIA'S FUTURE
http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/04/maulana-madani-on-india-elections.html
Maulana Madani deserves a big salute for this interview. He spoke the sentiments of a majority of Muslims, at least me and 90% of what I wanted to say and have said it over the last several years.  If someone wants to know the state of Muslims in India - this is the snapshot.

I don't want to write about it, it is worth listening again and again, there is confidence, humor, assertiveness and patriotism in his language.  He spoke the truth with politeness and firmness. One of the best interviews from an Indian Muslim. I would have probably given the same interview.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/video/maulana-mahmood-madani-narendra-modi-gujarat-riots-azam-khan/1/356735.html

Modi should not apologize for Gujarat 2002 riots, says Madani - the title is not what the interview is about. 

This is an exclusive interview by Rahul Kanwal with Muslim cleric Maulana Mahmood Madani said Narendra Modi is not secular and will have to treat everyone as equal if he becomes the prime minister. Rahul is a good interviewer as well.

I actually had a tear in my eye at 4:19 point of the interview. I love his confidence in India and India's pluralistic ethos. He and I have identical views and approach based on conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturence. He is a true follower of the Prophet.

We are deeply a pluralistic people and our heritage is loaded with pluralistic ethos. Men who are divisive are an insult to Hinduism and Islam’s pluralistic ethos. Remember men in all traditions have been violent, despite their religion teaching otherwise. It is not the religion; it is the selfishness and insecurity in men that drives them to be rotten pigs.


I used a provocative title to make the point, "for every Muslim ass, there is a Hindu ass" at
URL - http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/04/for-every-muslim-ass-there-is-hindu-ass.html 

and "Modi's Nakshatra's are not in his favor" - http://www.opednews.com/articles/Narendra-Modi-s-Nakshatras-by-Mike-Ghouse-Anti-christian_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Business_Congress-131227-999.html

and "India's future with Modi" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-future-narendra-mo_b_4177079.html

I wrote in a note yesterday

It's not about Hindus or Muslims, but it is about;

1. Justice for every indian.

2. No indian needs to live in fear of the other,

3. No Indian needs to be treated less than the other. 

Is this too much to ask?
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Modi says, he was shaken to core by Gujarat's religious riots

Narendra Modi's words sound hollow
URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/12/modi-says-he-was-shaken-to-core-by.html

Mr. Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat has been compared for his focus on development of his state, while tearing the social fabric of Gujarat and reducing minorities to second class citizens. The Gujarat Massacred killed nearly 1000 people and displaced 20,000 without any rehabilitation or compensation. The lower court sided with the recommendations of a special investigative team on December 26, 2013. Mr. Modi sounds hollow.

December 26, 2013. The district court in Ahmadabad, Gujarat validated the recommendations of the special investigation team and dismissed the charges against Mr. Narendra Modi's involvement in the Gujarat massacre under his leadership in 2002. 

Immediately after the verdict, Mr. Modi tweeted, "Satyameva Jayate" - that truth triumphs at the end.  The words sounded hollow.

Referring to the 2001 Earthquake, he wrote on his blog "Hundreds of lives were lost. Lakhs were rendered homeless. Entire livelihoods were destroyed. In such traumatic times of unimaginable suffering, I was given the responsibility to soothe and rebuild. And we had whole heartedly plunged ourselves into the challenge at hand."

Of course the hard core supporters will lap it up, but this should have happened as an initiative and not as a reaction.

Mr. Modi, did you not have the responsibility to soothe and restore the lives of the riot victims, at least with some heart if not wholeheartedly? If you had cared for them, the world would have been with you and you did not have to play these games.

However, you still have the time to show if you really have a pure heart that does not discriminate any one. Mr. Modi said, "I pray to God that no bitterness seeps into my heart". Please do the praischit, (repentance) prayers alone won't cut it, and they are merely words.

Should we buy the following statement, "However, it was from these very built up emotions that I had appealed to the people of Gujarat on the day of the Godhra train burning itself; fervently urging for peace and restraint to ensure lives of innocents were not put at risk."

Should we buy this statement from Rahul Gandhi, your opponent if he delivers this, "However, I was totally opposed to corruption in the UPA government, I was shaken to the core. 'Grief', 'Sadness', 'Misery', 'Pain', 'Anguish', 'Agony' with the way things are happening, I am here to change it and put India back on prosperity that reaches every Indian."

After twelve years and countless investigations and interviews, he comes up with this to build momentum and position himself as a good guy, "I was shaken to the core. 'Grief', 'Sadness', 'Misery', 'Pain', 'Anguish', 'Agony' - mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity." Really? It took twelve years for you to share that on an opportunistic time?

He continues, "On one side was the pain of the victims of the earthquake, and on the other the pain of the victims of the riots. In decisively confronting this great turmoil, I had to single-mindedly focus all the strength given to me by the almighty, on the task of peace, justice and rehabilitation; burying the pain and agony I was personally wracked with."

Mr. Modi, you still have the time to take action, here are the suggestions. 

1. Restore the lives of refugees uprooted in the riots, find them minimum housing and a path to earn a livelihood. Let them be accommodated amidst all others with caring attitudes, in the long run we have to build de-segregated societies for the good of all.

2. Inclusive governance, to include Muslims on the internal advisory of the Chief Minister to make security decisions on a voluntary basis with nothing to gain.

3. Justice to the families of the ones who have lost their lives, both Hindu and Muslim without discrimination.

4. Find the truth about burning of 59 passengers in the train in the most transparent way - to bring closure to doubts on both sides or acknowledge the findings and live with it.

5. Punishment for anti-Muslim and anti-Christian attitudes in the state machinery, just like the strong anti-corruption rules instituted by the Chief Minister.

6. Meet with local Muslim, Dalit, Sikh, and Christian leadership on a regular basis, not to appease them, but to hear them out and prevent injustice to them.

7. Earn the goodwill of the people affected by restoring their lives and seeking forgiveness from them.

Remember, Muslims and other minorities are not looking for favors or handouts, but just fair treatment, and an opportunity to be productive citizens.  If Mr. Modi can demonstrate that he is a good human being, and put in to practice the above seven points for the next five years, he would earn the goodwill of the people and could hope to be the Prime Minister of India for several terms.
 

Jai Hind

• OpEd News: Narendra Modi's Nakshatra's are not in his favor http://www.opednews.com/articles/Narendra-Modi-s-Nakshatras-by-Mike-Ghouse-Anti-christian_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Business_Congress-131227-999.html

• Huffington post - India's future, Narendra Modi and moving forward.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/indias-future-narendra-mo_b_4177079.html

• Modi's letter after the lower court's decision http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/allaboutnarendramodi/was-shaken-to-the-core-by-2002-gujarat-riot-narendra-modi/article1-1166877.aspx

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.

Babri Masjid: Lack of leadership among Hindus

By Mike Ghouse

Published at http://twocircles.net/2013dec13/babri_masjid_lack_leadership_among_hindus.html

Twenty one years ago, on December 6, 1992, the hypocrite Indians who call India their mother, ripped her apart. Not only they hurt the other children of that mother but destroyed their historic symbol; Babri Masjid.
Do we have a leader among Indians who considers every Indian to be an Indian, and nothing but an Indian?
In August of 2003, ten years ago, I talked about Ayodhya; here is clip from Mark Donald's Across the Divide in Dallas Observer, a lead story for that week.

“Ayodhya. It is an issue a lot of Indian-Americans shun talking about," Ghouse tells his radio audience. "But we must talk about it. We only know some aspects of the issue. When we learn all aspects, it brings some sort of resolution. It settles the dust in our minds, and when the dust settles, it gives clarity, peace of mind. It gives you freedom from the bondage of your prejudice."

On this issue, however, Ghouse can't resist offering his own opinion. He sees the problem as political rather than religious, exploited by Hindu extremists within the BJP to solidify their power. His idea is to defuse the problem through conciliation. "My suggestion is that Muslims should offer the land to build a temple for Ram. That is what a majority of Muslims in India feel. That is what a majority of Hindus feel. Let's not fight over an issue that is not going to help my children get education or get food on the table.

Quickly, he gulps some water and wipes a thin layer of sweat from his brow. "I will take your calls now. I will take all opinions, no matter how extreme, no matter how calm, no matter how agitated. All opinions are welcome."


The legitimate fear that holds Muslims from putting an end to this conflict is really not the land; it is the bent of the extremist politicians who want to dupe the common Hindus into believing that, to be a Hindu, one has to be anti-Muslim.

Of course India’s pluralistic ethos is deeper and has a solid foundation for the majority of Hindus to fall into the extremist politician’s trap, who want to wipe out everything that is Muslim. Thank God that is not the view of Hindu majority. However, the ones who scream the loudest get the hearing and corrupt the goodness of an average Hindu.

There are millions of Muslims out there who would want to live in harmony with every Indian regardless of his religion, caste or linguistic heritage, and that has been the tradition. Many of us want to be a part of building the Ram Temple and let go of the Mosque, but the blood thirsty politicians will not be satisfied with it, there is no end to their demands, they want more, and more and every pound of flesh from Muslims.
This is what is holding the nation. Do we have a leader among BJP who considers every Indians to be an Indian – no matter what that Indian eats, drinks, wears or believes? Do we have a Hindu leader who can rack up support to put an end to the harassment of Muslims, Christians, Dalits and other minorities in their daily conversations? Do we have a leader whose word is an iron clad guarantee that if Muslims walk away from Babri Masjid, they will not be pushed to give more and more? If there is a mai ka laal son of Bharat Mata, come forward, it will put an end to the conflict and we all can live our own lives and mind our own business.

The Indian Muslims are sick of the blame and the ugly comments hurled at them about India's partition, attacks of Ghazni on Somnath or the cruelties and Massacres of Aurangzeb. Many a parents teach their children to hate, and build biases against Muslims. It is not good for any one.

The Muslims of independent India are not responsible for the Partition, attacks of Ghazni or cruelty of Aurangzeb, just as the present day Hindus are not responsible for the past cruelties towards untouchables and burning of widows. This must be clearly understood and taught to bring Mukti (freedom) to both Hindus and Muslims from the bondage of the past.

Deep down, all humans seek justice and a balance in life, and without it, they are lost in sectarian warfare. As a member of the civilized nations, we need to collectively work towards building a cohesive India, where no Indian has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other -- an India where everyone is free to eat, drink, wear and believe whatever suits him/her.

What we need is trust building steps and Indians taking responsibility for their commitments. The Civility of a nation is measured by how she treats her women, children, and the ones in ditches, the minorities and the voiceless. An Australian professor shot back and wanted to know India's record.

Neither Indian, nor Australian or American system will score 100 in civility, but certainly it has the structure to contribute towards that goal, and if the rule of law prevails.

As a solution, India has offered reservations in jobs, and education system to those economically backward and those in the ditches to uplift them, we still have Sachar Report's recommendations to be implemented to uplift Muslims. We have to pull every one up from the ditches to a point from which they will be competitive. Harassment and Oppression of women continues female infanticide is a daily occurrence.

However, India's laws are equitable, the knowledge of which has not permeated into the whole society, nor its implementation occurs. Thanks to the internet and social media, the society will eventually monitor itself. You can be who you want to be in India. It’s a tough battle, but legally, our path is paved.
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer. He can be reached at www.TheGhousediary.com.