According to two articles in The Hindu, responsibility for the recent communal violence in Gujarat has become a central issue in the legislative elections scheduled in the state for December 12th. In an attempt to encourage fears among majority Hindus about the possibility of minority Muslim reprisals at the polls, the ruling BJP seems to be making protection of Hindus the main issue in the campaign. The challenging Congress Party is promising to set up special courts and to pursue criminal cases against those responsible for the violence beginning last February.

Congress is accusing the BJP of attempting to cover up its own complicity in the violence. Many observers -- and a recent "citizen's tribunal" consisting of, among others, several retired Supreme Court judges -- have indicated that politicians in Gujarat bear heavy responsibility for encouraging and protecting rioters. (An article by Human Rights Watch is available here. And in a recent interview with Rediff.com, Delhi-based political scientist Ghanshyam Shah calls the BJP minister in Gujarat, Narendra Modi, a "textbook fascist.") Modi has struck back at his political rivals by charging Congress with aiding Pakistan-financed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Times of India also has a good profile of pre-election tensions in Mahsana, one area within the state of Gujarat, and an article noting that the political parties are predicting record-high turnout levels. The Indian Express published poll results that predict a Congress win in Gujarat.

The conflict over secularism and Hindu nationalism is a permanent tension in Indian politics. The Gujarat elections are likely to be an important proving ground for militant Hindus in the BJP and other more extreme parties. Let's hope they lose. India's traditions of tolerance and secularism should be encouraged and strengthened, especially in Gujarat, where the recent violence has exposed a high level of organized, local, official support for brutality against members of the Muslim minority.