cost. Same Kalyan Singh later took pride in being part of the process of demolition of the mosque.

Later, when BJP led NDA came to power and ruled the country for six years the NIC was not constituted at all. The signal was that the BJP does not care for national integration as it believes in the Hindu Rashtra and not in secular democratic India. That apart even in the present scheme of things NIC has a very limited advisory role to play. During the previous UPA I regime, the NIC met only twice. During UPA II also NIC has met only twice. All said and done it is a national forum which can give vent to the voice of those who are victims of communalism in one formor the other and deliberate on solutions to this problem dogging our nation.

By its very norm the council has to have all the Chief ministers as the member of NIC. So naturally, Narendra Modi, the one who presided over Gujarat carnage, is also the member of the same. One recalls that during UPA I, in the first meeting of NIC, he was probably the only one who managed to make his presence felt in the media, with his claim that minorities are safe in Gujarat! This time he avoided attending it altogether.

In the present meeting the positive thing which happened, but was not reported by the mainstream media, was the presentation of civil society member John Dayal who called for the Communal and Targeted violence bill to be