Lessons learnt.

This weekend will be highly exciting for some Indian politicians. There are elections for 250 councillors  for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on 4 December. wikipedia. Previously there were 3 MCDs with 272 wards but earlier this year the central government consolidated them into one MCD with 250 wards. India TV. Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also holding elections to its assembly from 1 to 5 December. wikipedia. These are must win battles for Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and all the big guns have been deployed. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said anti-social elements earlier indulged in violence in Gujarat as the Congress supported them, but after the perpetrators were 'taught a lesson' in 2002 , they stopped such activities and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established permanent peace in the state." TOI. He was referring to Muslims. In 2002, at Godhra station in Gujarat, 58 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were killed when a train was set on fire by a Muslim mob. In the resultant violence, 1,044 people died, of which 790 were Muslims and 254 were Hindus, according to official figures. wikipedia. Unofficial figures put the deaths much higher. Responding to Shah's claims, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Party chief Asadudddin Owaisi asked, "What lesson did Amit Shah teach in 2002? Lessons from Naroda Patiya ? Lessons from Gulbarg? Best bakery lesson? Lessons from Bilkis Bano?" "TOI. "Amit Shah, what kind of lesson did you teach that caused riots in Delhi?" 97 Muslims were killed in Naroda Patiya, Most of the houses at Gulbarg Society were burnt with 35 deaths and 31 missing. 11 Muslims and 3 Hindus died at Best Bakery. wikipedia. Pregnant Bilkis Bano was gang raped and 14 members of her family, including her 3 year old daughter, were murdered. All 11 men convicted of the crime were released on Independence Day to be greeted with garlands and sweets. BBC. "The Biden administration has cited the immunity granted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a lawsuit over his role in the Gujarat riots as one of the past precedents to justify the use of legal cover given to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over a case filed on behalf of journalist Jamal Khashoggi." The Wire. "India has expressed its displeasure," with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi saying, "Frankly, I fail to understand how the comment on PM Modi was either relevant, necessary or contextual." Times Now. However, BJP is most likely to win. "The BJP has garnered 94% of the political funding through electoral bonds in the last five years in  Gujarat", according to the Association for Democratic Reforms. ET. Of the total donations of Rs 1.74 billion, the BJP received Rs 1.63 billion. "The RBI, including the then Governor Urjit R Patel, had warned about the possibility of electoral bonds being used for money laundering in the run-up to the rolling out of the scheme but the Ministry of Finance did not find merit in it saying those who bought the financial instrument could be identified if required." DH. Has not been required so far. Modi imposed demonetisation to eliminate black money. TOI. Except for elections.