Mr. Vir Sanghvi in the editorial of the Hindusta Times of this sunday (12/6/05) did mention something similar in the sense that while the whole world venerates Gandhi, and to a lesser extent Nehru, as great statesemen, when it comes to Jinnah, there is an apologetic silence in raising him to the same eminence. This, obvioulsy, raises the hackles of Pakistanis in general.
But I have my doubts whether it is simply the respect to the pantron of gods that will erase the mindset across the two countries. No doubt, Jinnah is not the most huggable figure in recent history, but I find it hard to digest that Indians, per se, paint Jinnah in quintessential black without any shades of gray. I have felt him squarely responsible for the partition, but have reserved my opinion as to whether I hate him for the same.
As far as the RSS' (Parivar's) strong critique goes, it goes without saying that their existence depends upon the furtherance of the anti-minority mindset, which can be called to act upon receptive minds with virulent tendencies to create atmospheres suitable for their 'trishul parades' and mosque bashings.
How we respond to Advani's 'banquet' will reveal where we go in the futu
