PM’s dilemma to deepen with Gujarat trip

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">new delhi: when prime minister vajpayee arrives in ahmedabad thursday, he will confront the greatest political challenge he has ever faced. the bjp and the sangh — which vajpayee once said was his ‘‘soul’’ — stand discredited for the killing of close to 900 people and the destruction of hundreds of crores of rupees worth of property.senior state-level leaders of the bjp, vhp and bajrang dal have been named in firs for inciting murderous attacks on muslims — and on hindus who tried to shelter muslims. worse, the violence is still continuing after 35 days and thanks to his indifference to the administration being run by chief minister narendra modi, vajpayee’s own image has taken a beating. officials here say that vajpayee will ask modi what steps the administration has taken to restore peace. ‘‘the army is at the state government’s disposal as are the paramilitary forces. the pm wants to know why modi has not sought any further assistance to restore law and order when the forces available are not up to the job,’’ said one of them. in the light of all that has come out about the partisan nature of the state government — including this week’s indictment of it by the national human rights commission — dismissing modi is perhaps the easiest decision vajpayee can take at the present juncture. what he will find much more difficult is to follow through on the nhrc’s recommendations to ensure the guilty of gujarat are punished. at stake, say observers, is not just vajpayee’s position within a restless sangh but the very political survival of the parivar and its front organisations — which will not be able to withstand the seismic impact of an impartial investigative and judicial process. just as the congress could not afford to have criminal liability fixed for the 1984 riots, the bjp leadership has realised it cannot afford to let justice take its course in gujarat. already, there are reports that the forensic skills of the local police are being deployed to ensure the sabotage of riot cases. the nhrc wants the cbi to investigate godhra and the orchestrated killings which followed. even if vajpayee agrees, few are likely to be reassured. ten years after the babri masjid was demolished, say frustrated cbi insiders, the agency has not been able to begin the criminal prosecution of bjp and rss leaders accused of the crime. senior officials expect vajpayee to be reminded of these home truths when he visits the massacre victims in ahmedabad. more than anything, the victims want justice. if as prime minister, vajpayee is moved by their plight and chooses to act decisively, the bjp will surely suffer. but if as head of the bjp he is swayed by the pull of the parivar, say opposition and even some nda leaders, it is the country which will likely pay the price. (with inputs from smita gupta) <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">related stories:</span><br /><img src="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//ticker.gif" alt="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//ticker.gif" border="0" /> <a href="articleshow.asp?art_id=5734132">one more godhra train victim dies</a><br /><img src="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//ticker.gif" alt="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//ticker.gif" border="0" /> <a href="articleshow.asp?art_id=5652768">violence flares up in gujarat, 6 killed</a><br /><img src="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//ticker.gif" alt="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//ticker.gif" border="0" /> <a href="articleshow.asp?art_id=5805947">will vajpayee see through all the window dressing?</a><br /><img src="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//redbull.gif" alt="C://DOCUME~1//ADMINI~1//LOCALS~1//Temp//cms_files//5804215-open//images//redbull.gif" border="0" /> <a href="articlelist.asp?catkey=2362953&daysactive=12">full coverage: gujarat violence</a><span style="" color:=""> </span></div> </div>