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Lal Advani came and saw Syed, who was delighted. Two days later, on July 10,<br />
Lal brought Dandawate, Upendra, Unnikrishnan and Dipen Goswami, leading<br />
MPs, to see him. They suggested another meeting- with more MPs.<br />
The following day Balkavi Vairagi, Congress MP, came to see him. They<br />
suggested a larger MPs’ audience for him. Later Balkavi told me that Moopanar<br />
had suggested MPs seeing him in small groups. He said he would speak to<br />
Jakhar, for a bigger meet of MPs. However, the Presidential poll was on and I left<br />
for Nagpur, and so this bigger MPs’ meet did not materialize. Syed was sorry<br />
that there was no photographer around when Advani came; he was also sorry,<br />
not to be able to pay a return visit to Lal because of the latter’s preoccupation.<br />
I took Prof. Rajendra Singh of RSS, to see him. Syed chatted with him and<br />
presented him a copy of his ‘Religion, a Reality’.<br />
The Freedom Fighters Organization held a special reception for him at Vithalbhai<br />
Patel House on July 10. It was a nice big function. Here I saw Nirmala<br />
Deshpande (who used to be Vinoba’s intermediary with Indira). She was keen to<br />
meet Syed. The following day I arranged a special interview for her. Bahuguna<br />
came and saw him-with a photographer!<br />
Syed was honoured by Sindhu Samaj at Sindhu Bhavan, Rajendranagar, on July 8.<br />
There was music by Kan Motihar, speech by Syed, questions and answers, more<br />
music. Some people started dancing. Many offered “Ghor”. It was a delightful<br />
function, attended by about one hundred. He was presented a silk dupatta.<br />
I asked some Seths of Subzi Mandi to see him on July 7. It was a small but warm<br />
group. Some of them asked him if a certain ‘Marhi’ in Rohri had been burnt. He<br />
said people had gone mad; one of them went and burnt the Koran in the local<br />
masjid in his ancestral Sann. When asked what he was doing, the man said he<br />
was lighting one more Lamp! Syed added that when refugees attacked some<br />
Hindu shops and houses in reaction to Meerut, Sindhi youths came out and<br />
shooed the rioters away. Since then, those properties had been repaired. The<br />
meet ended with a prayerful “palao paayo”.<br />
The PM met Syed. I asked him how the meeting went. He said he had spoken for<br />
one hour but Rajiv did not utter one word. It is not clear whether Rajiv does not<br />
know anything about the Sindh problem or he didn’t want to commit himself to<br />
anything. He said Rajiv was late from his meeting with Opposition leaders. He<br />
was very tired. Syed suggested meeting him some other time, but Rajiv said he’d<br />
be alright after he had washed his eyes. And so the meeting, continued.<br />
The Sindh Story; Copyright © www.panhwar.com<br />
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