India

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than50seats.SoniaGandhi,thewidowofRajivGandhi,wasselectedleaderoftheparliamentary
opposition.

NewMillenniumPolitics

TensionssurroundingKashmirwereraisedagainattheendof1999whenanIndianAirlinesplanewas
hijackedbyIslamicmilitantsanddivertedtoKandahrinAfghanistan.AftereightdaystheIndian

governmentagreedtothehijackers'demandsandreleasedthreeprisonersheldfortheirinvolvement
intheseparatistconflictinKashmir.TheissueofcontinuingviolenceintheKashmirregionwashigh
ontheagendaduringthevisitbyUnitedStatespresidentBillClintontoIndia,Pakistan,and

BangladeshinMarch2000,butnodiplomaticbreakthroughwasseriouslyexpectedorachieved.
ThemapofIndiawasreworkedinNovember2000,whenthreenewIndianstates,Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand,andUttaranchal,wereestablished,carvedoutofMadhyaPradesh,Bihar,andUttar

Pradesh,respectively.Thechanges,whichhadbeendebatedforsometime,affectregionsofhigh

potentialintermsofmineralresourcesandtourism.Justtwomonthslater,onRepublicDay,January

26,2001,theprosperousstateofGujaratwasrockedbyadevastatingearthquake,withitsepicentre
inBhuj,thatmayhaveleftsome30,000dead.Thecostofreconstructionhasbeenestimatedatover
US$3billionandrecoveryisexpectedtotakeyears.

InMay2001,IndiaannouncedtheendoftheunilateralceasefireoverKashmir,butofferedtalkswith
Pakistanovertheissueoftheterritory.PrimeMinisterVajpayeeandPresidentMusharrafmetinAgra

inJulytheirfirstface-to-facetalksbutfailedtoresolvetheirdifferences.Inanexpressionofthanks
forsupportgivenfollowingtheterroristattacksonthecitiesofNewYorkandWashington,D.C.in
September,theUSliftedthesanctionsithadformerlyplacedonIndia.

ThetensionneartheLineofControlinKashmircontinuedthroughoutthesummerandautumn,and

IndialaunchedmajorassaultsafteranattackontheassemblybuildinginSrinagarinwhichdozensof
peoplewerekilled.OnDecember13therewasasuicideattackontheIndianfederalparliamentin

which12peopledied;IndiafollowedupbyinstitutingaseriesofsanctionsonPakistaninanattempt
togettheringleadersarrested.Pakistanclampeddownbyarrestingnumeroussuspectsandbanning
twohigh-profilemilitantorganizations.

TensionsoverthedemolishedmosqueatAyodhyacontinuedin2002.TheVHPhaddeclaredthat

March12,2002wouldbeadayofactiontobuildatempleonthesitewherethemosquehadstood.
TensionsbetweenHindusandMuslimswerehighandmanyHindustravelledtothesite.Inlate

February,atrainfullofKarSevakswasreturningfromthesite,andatarailwaystationinthetownof
Godhra,ineasternGujarat,acarriagewassetonfire.Somefifty-eightHindus,mainlywomenand
childrendied.AtthetimeitwaswidelyreportedthatMuslimshadattackedthetrainandsetthe

carriagealight.Revengekillingsspreadquickly,tobothurbanandruralareasofGujarat.Upto2,000
people,mainlyMuslims,arebelievedtohavebeenkilled.Manynationalandinternationalhuman

rightsorganizationshaveclaimedthatthestategovernment,runbytheBJPatbestfailedtoprevent,
andatworstwascomplicitinthegenocidalviolence.

A.P.J.AbdulKalam,aMuslim,waselectedasIndiasnewpresidentinJuly.Byprofessionheisa

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