Maybe it's an instance of political maturity, but the Bharatiya Janata Party is playing down the Godhra tragedy on its first anniversary.

According to Suresh Gandhi, general secretary of the party in Gujarat, "We have not arranged any programme. We believe Godhra was a bad incident and better we forget Godhra and also what happened after it. Both were negative events."

When reminded that Chief Minister Narendra Modi had repeatedly declared during the election campaign in Gujarat in November-December 2002 that "we can never forget Godhra", Gandhi said, "It will be better for society if the fear recedes. There is no need to revive the atmosphere of fear. Don't make an issue of it."

State Congress president Shankersinh Vaghela had a different take on the BJP's new stand. "The BJP is not participating in any public event in Godhra because the use of the issue is over," he said. "They got the votes!"

But the Shiv Sena, the BJP's ally in neighbouring Maharashtra, which is trying to make its presence felt in Gujarat, has sought permission from the railway authorities to arrange a small prayer meeting at the spot where the Sabarmati Express was attacked.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has also organised a meeting in the Lalbaug area of Godhra town in memory of those killed on February 27, 2002. Haresh Bhatt, BJP legislator from Godhra, will attend the function. Bhatt, however, told rediff.com, "We will take care to maintain peace."

Peace has clearly become the buzzword for the Modi administration. Amit Shah, minister of state for home and a Modi confidant, said, "We will fight terrorism politically. We must fight back at the legal and social levels. There is no need to take out a procession in memory of the Godhra victims."

Shah added that peace would be maintained at any cost. "We believe that the Godhra incident and even the December 6 event of the Babri demolition should be forgotten," he said.

The Gujarat Riots: The Complete Coverage