Two years after the Modi Government stood by and let Gujarat burn -comes a report that all is not well in the State of Gujarat. Discriminiation against non upper caste Hindus is still rife.

The latest comes from Ahmedabad. The ToI reports

It’s been two years since Godhra riots, but the fear still remains. State transport bus services which were discontinued during the riots in 2002, still continue to skirt minority-dominated areas.

Routes of over 300 Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses that used to pass through Juhapura, the largest Muslim ghetto in the state, have been diverted.

Though the routes were altered temporarily during the riots, the authorities have not yet resumed buses on these routes which the residents believe to be a conspiracy to malign the area.

This decision is all politically motivated. It is just a part of the larger design to wrongly portray Juhapura as a danger zone,” Ibrahim Sheikh, a member of the Gujarat Lok Heet Seva Trust said.

The Sangh Parivar has used Gujarat as its experimental “orange”house very effectively. In 50 years the fabric of society has changed. In a state where Hindus and Muslims used to share the same last name – and live together in relative peace – the battle lines are drawn. And the pogroms of 2002 – has divided society even more. The election results of 2004 may go some way to rectifying the fabric of society -because it is evident that it was not just Muslim votes that went to the Congress, it was also a substantial portion of Hindu votes. Now, politicians of all hues and shades should put aside party political differences and look towards a genuine policy of reconcilliation in society.