VZCZCXRO2492
RR RUEHCHI RUEHPW
DE RUEHBI #0094/01 0721007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121007Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL MUMBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6081
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RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 1483
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RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0798
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0791
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0077
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0792

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUMBAI 000094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA AND DRL/IRF FOR JOANELLA MORALES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM IN
SUBJECT: GUJARAT CHIEF MINISTER BEGINS EFFORT TO RECAST IMAGE WITH 
PARTIAL RETREAT ON RELIGIOUS BILL 
 
REF: 2007 MUMBAI 479 
 
MUMBAI 00000094  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: On March 10, the Government of Gujarat (GOG) 
withdrew a controversial 2007 amendment to a 2003 religious 
conversion law.  Human rights activists informed Congenoffs that 
the withdrawal of the 2007 amendment was a) unnecessary and b) 
meaningless without withdrawing the original 2003 legislation 
that the 2007 proposal sought to amend.  The March 10 withdrawal 
could be interpreted as an attempt by the controversial Gujarat 
BJP chief minister Narendra Modi to improve his image, which was 
tarnished by his complicity in the 2002 anti-Muslim violence. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) On March 10, the GOG withdrew a 2007 proposal to amend a 
2003 law against religious conversion.  The proposed 2007 
amendment was designed to reclassify Jains and Buddhists as 
sub-sects of Hinduism in order to avoid violating the 2003 
conversion legislation.  While introducing the amendment, GOG 
thought it was making life easier for Jains, who commonly 
inter-marry with Hindus (usually from the bania or merchant 
community  which forms a large segment of BJP support). 
However, the Jain community criticized the amendment sharply, 
saying that they were a separate faith, not a sub-sect.  The 
Governor of Gujarat refused to sign that amendment into law in 
July 2007 (reftel), pointing out that Article 25 of the Indian 
Constitution stipulates that all religions have equal status, 
and that the Indian Supreme Court determined that Jainism and 
Buddhism are independent religions, rather than sects of 
Hinduism. 
 
 
Move Toward Greater Religious Tolerance or Smokescreen 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The 2003 law requires all persons undergoing religious 
conversion to give prior notice to a district collector (a 
judicial and administrative officer of the state government). 
This law has been widely criticized by minority religious groups 
for asserting temporal authority over a matter of conscience -- 
choice of religion.  Although the law was passed in 2003, the 
rules and regulations necessary for implementing the law, have 
yet to be published by the Government of Gujarat.  Congenoffs 
have been informed by constitutional experts and faith-based 
groups that the law cannot be challenged in the courts until 
these rules are established and made public. 
 
¶4.  (U) Interlocutors have criticized the sudden decision to 
retract the 2007 amendment by the BJP-led Government of Gujarat, 
characterizing the move as a smokescreen designed to gain 
political capital without producing any results.  Human rights 
activist Father Cedric Prakash stated, "Since the Governor had 
not signed the bill, it had lapsed anyway.  Formally withdrawing 
it is just a big drama.  The original 2003 Act still remains in 
the state.  Unless that is withdrawn in totality, withdrawing 
just the amendment has no meaning." 
 
Comment: 
------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Pundits speculate that Chief Minister Narendra Modi is 
actively working to reshape his image which remains tainted by 
the anti-Muslim violence which erupted in Gujarat in 2002. 
Following his thumping victory in December 2007, Modi may be 
trying to reinvent himself as an inclusive leader, acceptable to 
religious minorities, in order to fulfill his widely suspected 
national ambitions.  Withdrawing this controversial amendment, 
which greatly offended the affluent and influential Jain 
community, is likely one small step on his image reshaping 
agenda.  Withdrawing the 2003 Bill might well be the next step 
in his reinventing project.  Modi may be emulating BJP national 
leader and current PM candidate L.K. Advani who in 2005 made 
laudatory comments about Pakistan founder M.A. Jinnah to 
distance himself from the 1992 Ayodhya Babri mosque destruction. 
In another image-building exercise, CM Modi will be sharing the 
dais with a world-renowned spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Sankar in 
 
MUMBAI 00000094  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Mumbai on March 12, to inaugurate an exhibition on 16th century 
iconic Maratha king Shivaji. 
OWEN