# Indian elections and Narendra Modi **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 14, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067 "2014-04-14T03:31:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/1 "2014-04-14T03:31:14Z")
So the largest democratic exercise in the world is underway, and a man named Narendra Modi is the frontrunner. What little knowledge and discussion of this event there is on the board tends to be along these lines > [@If Jesus had a wife, would that change anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jesus-had-a-wife-would-that-change-anything/635337/90): > > But, more likely, Modi will win :mad: > [@If Jesus had a wife, would that change anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jesus-had-a-wife-would-that-change-anything/635337/91): > > Modi’s been in The Economist several times over the past year, so I’ve kind of had my eye on him. What is shocking is that more people seem to be getting upset about this than about his complicity in sectarian violence, but we live in a crazy world. > [@If Jesus had a wife, would that change anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jesus-had-a-wife-would-that-change-anything/635337/101): > > It’s what you must suspect. > > Modi is portrayed in Western media as as divisive Hindu nationalist. He was banned from traveling to the UK for many years, and [still is banned from the US due to “severe violations of religious freedom.”](https://boards.straightdope.com/2014/02/25/time-end-narendra-modis-travel-ban-united-states/) I’m somewhat open to being convinced this is all unfair, and I do think it should be reversed if he becomes PM. But it doesn’t look good to me. , so I figured I should try and provide a thread for discussing the issue, instead of hijacking threads about Jesus’s wife 🙂 For the uninitiated, Modi became chief minister of a large Indian state, Gujarat, in late 2001 and about five months into his tenure, a railway coach with Hindu pilgrims was burnt by a Muslim mob. Over the next three days, riots in the state claimed the life of about 700 Muslims and 300 Hindus. The view of many in the media was that Modi was complicit in letting the riots take place. This view has also been largely echoed by the international media, but I’ve never seen any substantial evidence for this point of view. My response to Phillyguy is quoted below > [@If Jesus had a wife, would that change anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jesus-had-a-wife-would-that-change-anything/635337/102): > > Modi is portrayed wrongly. There is a definite anti Modi slant among certain sections of Indian intelligentsia, but to a neutral observer it doesn’t make sense. Not only has his complicity in the riots never been established, an Indian supreme court special investigation team recently concluded > > [http://ibnlive.in.com/news/how-sit-report-on-gujarat-riots-exonerates-modi-the-highlights/256848-3.html](http://ibnlive.in.com/news/how-sit-report-on-gujarat-riots-exonerates-modi-the-highlights/256848-3.html) > > > [@](#): > > > > The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team, headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan, to probe the 2002 Gujarat riots has concluded in its 541-page closure report that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi took all possible steps to control the 2002 post-Godhra riots > > There’s a detailed list of steps taken by his government to quell the riots compiled by a Delhi academic here - > > [http://www.manushi.in/articles.php?articleId=1688&ptype=&pgno=2#.U0tI2lVdXa5](http://www.manushi.in/articles.php?articleId=1688&ptype=&pgno=2#.U0tI2lVdXa5) > > I have myself seen a number of public statements made by Modi at the time to maintain peace, here’s one with English subtitles > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player\_embedded&v=4CiuBBKJ30Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4CiuBBKJ30Q) > > I have seen a number of statements by him in interviews that maintain that riots and violence are a stain on civilised society and should not happen at any cost. I can link to them if you’re interested. His entire campaign to be PM, and his governance for the last 12 years in Gujarat has focused on development, not on being ‘divisive’. He rejects claims of being a religious nationalist, independently accepting both apellations, in that he is religious, and he is a nationalist, but he puts the country’s development before all else. He has gone to the extent of making the statement that ‘toilets are more important than temples’, which is not one I would expect from someone who gives primacy to religion. > As for the bans placed on him by foreign countries, the UK and Europe have recently reversed their ‘bans’, and the US ambassador too went to meet him last month. This is probably motivated by political expedience though. Not that the ban was made through any considered investigation either. Read this article if you’re interested in seeing how it came about > > [U.S. Evangelicals, Indian Expats Teamed Up to Push Through Modi Visa Ban - The New York Times](http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/u-s-evangelicals-indian-expats-teamed-up-to-push-through-modi-visa-ban/) > > It was a politically convenient ‘judgement from afar’, without any actual evidence. > > To me, the most compelling evidence lies in his performance since the riots. In Gujarat, which has had Hindu Muslim riots every decade since independence (including worse ones under the opposition party Congress - where many more people died) there have been none in the last 12 years under Modi’s rule. The only one that happened was 5 months into Modi’s Chief Ministership, when he was new to the job. In the latest assembly and municipal elections in the state, his party won from constituencies where Muslims are in the majority. That last fact is what convinces me more than any other that he is portrayed wrongly. What are your thoughts on the election, Modi, questions otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/2 "2014-04-14T15:45:47Z")
Modi’s a neofascist murderer. My cite is, oh, I dunno, just about every Indian person I’ve spoken to on the matter since 2002. (I’m ethnically Indian, Tamil to be precise, and I have a lot of relatives in the old country, and follow politics there with some degree of interest). Hindu nationalism was founded as a quasi-fascist movement modeled after the Nazis- down to having their own Hitleresque salute, and that really tells you all you need to know. I expect absolutely nothing good from a BJP administration- as far I’m concerned the party should have been permanently banned years ago as a hate group- and I don’t know whether to be more contemptuous of Modi personally or of the people who are probably going to vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/3 "2014-04-14T15:48:46Z")
As for the remarks about toilets and temples, what do you expect him to say? And as for the Supreme Court finding him innocent, this is a country notorious for judicial and political corruption. And of course this is the same supreme court that just upheld a ban on male homosexual activity, so hardly one I expect to be full of wisdom and fair mindedness. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/4 "2014-04-14T16:40:16Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > Modi’s a neofascist murderer. My cite is, oh, I dunno, just about every Indian person I’ve spoken to on the matter since 2002. That’s a pretty bad cite. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/5 "2014-04-14T16:49:29Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > As for the remarks about toilets and temples, what do you expect him to say? And as for the Supreme Court finding him innocent, this is a country notorious for judicial and political corruption. And of course this is the same supreme court that just upheld a ban on male homosexual activity, so hardly one I expect to be full of wisdom and fair mindedness. When he supposedly represents the “religious” right, I don’t expect him to touch the topic of temples and toilets with a 10 foot pole. Nor do I expect his administration to go around demolishing illegal temples by the score, as it has done in his state. I suppose the very fact that he is thought of as the representative of the religious gives him greater leeway in these matters. And India’s courts are widely admired for their independence. They are rightly criticised for their (lack of) efficiency, but as far as institutions go, India’s supreme court is among the best you can get, particularly in the developing world. The decision on homosexuality, though I personally found it appalling to begin with, was legally very sound. The court has rightly referred the matter to the legislative instead of legislating from the bench. Not to mention that attempting to argue from one off instances of judgements that you disagree with is as unsound as, I dunno, “my cite is every Indian person I’ve met” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/6 "2014-04-14T17:51:59Z")
Well, he certainly seems tarred [by](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Kodnani) [association](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amit_Shah), if nothing else. The first might be excused as just some minister whose dealings were unrelated to his own, despite being part of his cabinet for a couple of years. But the second seems a little more hinky, given the supposed closeness of the relationship and the fact that Modi purportedly doesn’t seem all that disturbed by the killings. Now I can certainly understand _feeling_ that some folks just need killing, especially serious criminals. But even a hint of a wink and a nod towards extrajudicial police killings seems a little egregious in an elected official. That aside I also must admit a general mild distaste for ethnic/religious nationalism as a matter of course, Indian or otherwise. So I’d probably not be inclined to support anybody in the BJP or similar parties for elected office. If I had a vote, which I don’t ;). ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/7 "2014-04-14T18:14:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Well, he certainly seems tarred [by](https://boards.straightdope.com/wiki/Maya_Kodnani) [association](https://boards.straightdope.com/wiki/Amit_Shah), if nothing else. > > The first might be excused as just some minister whose dealings were unrelated to his own, despite being part of his cabinet for a couple of years. But the second seems a little more hinky, given the supposed closeness of the relationship and the fact that Modi purportedly doesn’t seem all that disturbed by the killings. Now I can certainly understand _feeling_ that some folks just need killing, especially serious criminals. But even a hint of a wink and a nod towards extrajudicial police killings seems a little egregious in an elected official. > > That aside I also must admit a general mild distaste for ethnic/religious nationalism as a matter of course, Indian or otherwise. So I’d probably not be inclined to support anybody in the BJP or similar parties for elected office. If I had a vote, which I don’t ;). I believe Kodnani is being prosecuted by the Gujarat government. In fact, that his administration has actually moved to prosecute people and secured convictions counts as a plus for me. This is not a usual occurence in India, and it hasn’t happened in other riots that took place post 2002 (Assam). Amit Shah is murkier. I also find religious nationalism to be distasteful and counterproductive, and have in the past been wary of the BJP. Their campaign this time around though, has has nothing in it that I’ve found objectionable. It has completely ignored religious issues. Not only does that make it a more palatable choice, votes are not cast in a vaccuum. The BJP and Modi are not ideal, but you have to choose from among what you have. You would have to weigh your distaste for religious nationalism against your views on poor governance. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/8 "2014-04-17T16:12:00Z")
This is a guy who could have control of dozens or even hundreds of nukes, which coincidentally happen to be targeted at my country. He is a fundamentalist, fanatic. Yes, I am biased as fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/9 "2014-04-17T23:51:51Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > This is a guy who could have control of dozens or even hundreds of nukes, which coincidentally happen to be targeted at my country. He is a fundamentalist, fanatic. > > Yes, I am biased as fuck. There are lots of Indians who share your loathing of the man and his party, **AK84**. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/10 "2014-04-18T06:06:23Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > This is a guy who could have control of dozens or even hundreds of nukes, which coincidentally happen to be targeted at my country. He is a fundamentalist, fanatic. > > Yes, I am biased as fuck. If your country tried to get rid of _its_ fanatics instead of trying to use them to further its aims, things would be a lot better in the region don’t you think? Anyway, what’s your basis for calling him a ‘fundamentalist, fanatic’? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/11 "2014-04-22T13:53:34Z")
I don’t know much about his politics, and I don’t know whether he was directly involved in the Amit Shah affair. Having said that, his willingness [to endorse Shah’s actions](http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/13/stories/2007121362551600.htm) is disturbing. I was a little surprised to discover that India has [banned appeals to religious or caste distinctions in electoral speeches](http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/13/stories/2007121362551600.htm). I sort of theoretically wished we had a law like that here, but after actually seeing one that exists it feels wrong. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/12 "2014-04-23T07:09:52Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t know much about his politics, and I don’t know whether he was directly involved in the Amit Shah affair. Having said that, his willingness [to endorse Shah’s actions](http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/13/stories/2007121362551600.htm) is disturbing. It’s not clear to me at all that he’s ‘endorsing’ Shah’s actions in that speech. He is reiterating what he often says - if there is evidence that he’s done something illegal, the central government(which is his political opposition, so it’s not like we can suspect them of trying to cover things up for him) should prosecute him, instead of making allegations. I find that to be a reasonable stance. He _is_ defending the police force of Gujarat, by saying that they’ve killed a terrorist. Extra judicial killings of terrorists are not OK in my book, but they’re also not something that make or break my opinion on a candidate. Barack Obama ordered hundreds of terrorists killed without trial, and was re-elected to a second term quite handily. > [@](#): > > I was a little surprised to discover that India has [banned appeals to religious or caste distinctions in electoral speeches](http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/13/stories/2007121362551600.htm). I sort of theoretically wished we had a law like that here, but after actually seeing one that exists it feels wrong. India has _very_ restrictive laws when it comes to electoral speech, particularly where it strays into the territory of inciting hatred or violence against other communities. It’s a legacy of the lingering animosity between sections of Hindus and Muslims post partition, and the fact that the government machinery is relatively weak and overburdened. I tend to generally agree with them. The restriction on ‘appeals to religion/caste’ doesn’t make sense to me though, considering how so many parties implicitly (and many Muslim parties explicitly) canvass based on religion and caste anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Keviv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/49beb7/32.png) [@Keviv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keviv)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/13 "2014-04-24T16:45:01Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > Modi’s a neofascist murderer. My cite is, oh, I dunno, just about every Indian person I’ve spoken to on the matter since 2002. (I’m ethnically Indian, Tamil to be precise, and I have a lot of relatives in the old country, and follow politics there with some degree of interest). Hindu nationalism was founded as a quasi-fascist movement modeled after the Nazis- down to having their own Hitleresque salute, and that really tells you all you need to know. > > I expect absolutely nothing good from a BJP administration- as far I’m concerned the party should have been permanently banned years ago as a hate group- and I don’t know whether to be more contemptuous of Modi personally or of the people who are probably going to vote for him. In Tamil nadu foreign anti-India interests with so called intellectuals created hatred between different communities. Missionaries in the name of service converted some communities. They don’t want harmony between communities. The hatred is going too far. They may demand separate country based on language. Basically sahaja dharma thinks the whole world is one family. Save the world. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/14 "2014-04-24T17:25:56Z")
… does that mean you’re pro-Modi? ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/15 "2014-04-25T00:54:31Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … does that mean you’re pro-Modi? The one thing I’m really, _really_ hoping for from a Modi victory is that ‘his’ online Hindu brigade will spew less nonsense everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/16 "2014-04-29T10:53:58Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > The one thing I’m really, _really_ hoping for from a Modi victory is that ‘his’ online Hindu brigade will spew less nonsense everywhere. I can’t see that happening. Based on previous state election results in Karnataka, (I’m from Bangalore, so I follow Karnataka politics more closely than other states), a BJP victory only emboldened Hindutva-focussed organisations like the Sri Ram Sena. If Modi wins, I expect a wide range of juvenile crowing and much chest-thumping from the online Hindu brigade (which I can roll my eyes at and tolerate) but I also fear a lack of restraint from Sangh Parivar and associated idiots, both in terms of pushing a BJP government towards a more intolerant stance, as well as causing actual violence. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m cynical enough about the Hindutva movement to believe that this is possible. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/17 "2014-04-29T16:41:18Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > I can’t see that happening. Based on previous state election results in Karnataka, (I’m from Bangalore, so I follow Karnataka politics more closely than other states), a BJP victory only emboldened Hindutva-focussed organisations like the Sri Ram Sena. Anything other than that one incident in Mangalore? > [@](#): > > If Modi wins, I expect a wide range of juvenile crowing and much chest-thumping from the online Hindu brigade (which I can roll my eyes at and tolerate) but I also fear a lack of restraint from Sangh Parivar and associated idiots, both in terms of pushing a BJP government towards a more intolerant stance, as well as causing actual violence. > > I hope I’m wrong, but I’m cynical enough about the Hindutva movement to believe that this is possible. It’s certainly possible, but I think a fair bit of the social media onslaught is campaign driven. I think if he wins, that aspect at least will cool off, and leave us with a ‘normal’ amount of crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/18 "2014-04-29T17:52:31Z")
> [@Keviv](#): > > In Tamil nadu foreign anti-India interests with so called intellectuals created hatred between different communities. Missionaries in the name of service converted some communities. They don’t want harmony between communities. The hatred is going too far. They may demand separate country based on language. Basically sahaja dharma thinks the whole world is one family. Save the world. No, Brahmin oppression created hatred between different communities. That’s the simple story and the true one. I have no idea what ‘sahaja dharma’ is, but you should be aware that you have those hated missionaries to thank for a lot of hospitals, schools, universities and other social services. In some ways it’s a pity that the south _didn’t_ become a separate country, if only so that we wouldn’t face the prospect of being ruled by people like your buddy Modi. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/19 "2014-04-29T21:00:50Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > No, Brahmin oppression created hatred between different communities. That’s the simple story and the true one. > > I have no idea what ‘sahaja dharma’ is, but you should be aware that you have those hated missionaries to thank for a lot of hospitals, schools, universities and other social services. > > In some ways it’s a pity that the south _didn’t_ become a separate country, if only so that we wouldn’t face the prospect of being ruled by people like your buddy Modi. We? You’re only Indian origin aren’t you? You certainly have a number of vehement and generally wrong opinions about India that seem like they can only come from distance and selective knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067/20 "2014-04-30T20:37:18Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Anything other than that one incident in Mangalore? Quite a few, actually. Take your pick: Opinion piece suggesting that there has been an increase in violence by groups associated with the Sangh Parivar because of the BJP government: [http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2008/10/2386](http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2008/10/2386) Nineteen incidents of violence across south-eastern Karnataka around March 2011: > **[Sangh Parivar Attacks: Hindus Rescued Muslims | Sulekha Creative](http://creative.sulekha.com/sangh-parivar-attacks-hindus-rescued-muslims_401677_blog)** > > Sulekha Creative Blog - \*"Hindutva People Attacked Us And Hindus Saved Us"\* The mega narrative called world and life has both big actors and small actors. Big actors can call the shots but its not they who run the Bombing in Hubli in 2008 linked to Hindutva group, 2009: > **[Kafila](https://kafila.org)** > > Kafila Attacks on Christians, 2011: > **[Site is undergoing maintenance](https://www.christianmessenger.in/sangh-parivar-activists-beat-up-christians-in-karnataka/)** > > Site will be available soon. Thank you for your patience! Sudden rise in violent attacks by Hindutva groups, 2012: > **[Coastal Karnataka has witnessed a sudden rise in violent attacks by Hindutva...](https://communalism.blogspot.com/2012/08/coastal-karnataka-has-witnessed-sudden.html)** > > From: The Times of India The politics of partying Manu Aiyappa Aug 6, 2012, 06.37PM IST Coastal Karnataka has witnessed a sudden rise ... Hindu extremists say they will attack couples on Valentine’s day, 2009: [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/4447238/Hindu-extremists-will-attack-Valentines-Day-couples.html](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/4447238/Hindu-extremists-will-attack-Valentines-Day-couples.html) The BJP was in power in Karnataka from 2008 to 2013, under three different Chief Ministers. I haven’t done a comparative study of the statistics to see how much communal violence there was during the previous government, and how much there has been since, but my impression, and one borne out by the links above, is that Hindu extremist violence seemed to be on the upswing during this period. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-elections-and-narendra-modi/686067.md?page=2)