'Politicians should apologise for creating divide in society'

Observing that communal divide still persisted in Gujarat, member of the Planning Commission, Dr Syeda Hameed, today said it was the "duty" of every politician or national figure to "apologise" if such a divide was created in society.
"There still persists a (communal) divide (in Gujarat). In many cases, it is increasing and in some cases, because of mutual efforts, it is receding. If a divide is created in a society, apologising for it is the duty of every statesman, every big politician or a big national figure," she said in an apparent reference to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

She was interacting with the media here today after inaugurating 'Conflictorium', a museum of conflicts, set up by social activist Avani Sethi with the help of NGOs Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Jan Vikas and Navsarjan.
Conflictorium is an initiative that aims to engage every section of the society over a variety of conflict issues, by celebrating plurality and encouraging conflict expression and avoidance in artistic and creative way. The museum has a special place called 'Sorry Tree'.
"There is one tree here where, if you repent...If you are ashamed of some acts and want to apologise for it and if you can gather enough courage to apologise, you can do that... If you apologise, then it can have a spiralling effect," Hameed said.

When asked whether Narendra Modi should come here and stand under the 'Sorry Tree', Hameed, without naming anybody, said, "If the divide has been created by some acts, it's the duty of every politician to apologise for it."
When asked if she felt that communal divide was still present in the state, even after Modi's 'Sadbhavna' mission, she said, "It doesn't go away with one symbolic gesture. As I have said, it should not be apologised only once, but one should apologise repeatedly as people who are hurt feel the pain throughout their lives.