Arun Jetley Chidambaram Locked Horns : Terrorists got away

Leaders of the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress do not see eye to eye on the important matter of Internal Security. Arun Jetley, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha addressed a press conference in the national capital to awaken compatriots to grave dangers posed by terrorists from across the border and the home grown terrorists who have been emboldened by the soft policy on terror of the present UPA government. In various statements elsewhere too he and his party as well as leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj have pointed out that not carrying out the sentence of death confirmed by the Supreme Court on Afzal Guru and others encourages acts of terrorism in our country. The terrorists embedded with the Indian hosts in the predominantly Muslim areas are convinced that the Government of India led by the Congress party will not hang them lest they lose the Muslim vote bank. Consequently the security scenario in the entire country does not inspire confidence in a citizen and most of the citizens have lost faith in the present government at the Centre.

CHIDAMBARAM CHIDES OPPOSITION

Home Minister Chidambaram also held a press conference to put forward his govt’s and party’s views on tackling terror in India. By the way, on many a point the Congress party and the Manmohan Govt do not have the same view and Anna hazare’s case is a glaring example of this divide.  He said that the BJP should mature politically and understand bipartisan governance to deal with terrorism effectively. He said that when the terrorists had attacked the Sansad Bhawan in 2001, the Congress, then in opposition, did not hold a press conference to shame the BJP govt’s failure in dealing with the terrorists. Right now the UPA govt is facing a difficult situation and expects support from the entire country. On the other hand, the general perception of Indian citizens is that the UPA govt led by the Congress party does not have the will to beat terrorism in India.

Chidambaram, however, did not have a plausible explanation why he as Home Minister has drawn a blank in identifying the terrorists and bringing them to book. Of six major terror attacks in the recent past, Chidambaram’s home ministry and all the Intelligence agencies and para-military forces and Delhi Police who report to him for orders have not solved even a single case. If one visits the scene of terror one will find that everything lies at sixes and sevens. The police personnel posted to ensure internal security are at a loss to come up with a solution. Since there are too many agencies working on the case, many a time it is the proverbial case of right hand not knowing what the left is doing. Chidambaram attacked the main opposition party, the Bhartiya Janata Party, as if he was mounting an attack on the Pakistan’s terror camp in the Pak-occupied Kashmir. He said that many BJP ruled states have also failed to catch the terrorists and punish them. Mr Chidambaram has a legal background and should know that two wrongs do not make one right. Moreover, the states look to the centre for guidance in tackling terror. When the central government falters and fails in its primary duty to safeguard the life, limb and property of its citizens, the citizens will have no choice but to ask the cabinet to quit.

While Arun Jetley and Chidambaram have locked horns, it is the terrorists who have gone home laughing. When their controllers sitting in Islamabad express a sense of satisfaction with the way bomb blast plan was executed on the premises of the Delhi High Court and the manner in which all of them got away from the capital of India undetected, their masters might give them an Inam. Who can grudge their happiness when they go laughing all the way to the bank.

Perhaps the Government of India has not yet formulated a policy on how to deal with a situation of terror attack like the present one at the Delhi High Court. No agency lifted pieces of evidence lying scattered on the road or even on tree tops. The National Investigative Agency under Shri Sinha was entrusted the task after the Delhi Police failed to make a breakthrough in solving the puzzle. By then it was a little late in lifting scattered pieces of evidence as rains washed away remnants of explosive device from trees around and the over enthusiastic safaiwala had swept the road with his broom and consigned evidence of terror to dust bins. The heavy showers played their role in washing away remnants of the newly acquired explosive device, PNT, that is more deadly than the age old RDX. PNT has not been used by terrorists in India so far. Since this deadly explosive is under the control of the Army, the Pakistan Army apparently had a role to play.

BLIND ALLEY

Have the famous detective agencies like the NIA, IB etc entered a blind alley. Now they have nowhere to go to. The way gullible electronic media is “BREAKING NEWS” every now and then reporting an innocuous Email sent from Kishtwar in J&K or outskirts of Calcutta ( read Kolkata) and that the manager or the owner of the cyber cafe did not maintain a register to enter names, addresses etc of users and that they have been taken into custody by the state police – it all shows that there is no hard news about the terrorists who have got away. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued instructions to all State governments to tighten security and deploy extra police personnel to keep an eye on any suspicious person or object. It is fine Shri Chidambaram but aren’t you locking stables after the horse is stolen or has bolted away? Let us not pause for a reply from MHA because they do not have one.

Six cases of terror, remember the figure SIX, lie unsolved in the in-tray of the Home Minister. Immediately after the dastardly terrorist attack on Mumbai on26/11, the then Home Minister Shri Shivraj Patil was quietly shown the door. No one grieved and no tears were shed for him. His only claim to fame was his nearness to 10 Janpath inhabited by Sonia Gandhi.  P. Chidambaram assumed the responsibility of the Home Minister and looked after Internal Security. He boasted for a few months of his prowess and the absence of any terror attack in any part of India. The Islamist terrorists did not let his El Dorado last long and bombed the German bakery in Pune. The hero was crest fallen. More terrorist attacks were perpetrated by enemies of India and the common man cursed the govt of the day for being so ineffective. Mr Hero was transformed into Mr Zero.

THE LAST STRAW

The terrorist attack on the Delhi High Court, killing of 13 Indian citizens, grievous injury to 96 of our compatriots was the last straw on camel’s back. The dormant anger of the Indian masses erupted and common man gave vent to his pent up feelings openly and in an unashamed manner. Rahul Gandhi was heckled, booed and called names when he went to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. People asked him to be ashamed of himself and go back. The 41 year old scion of the oldest political party visited the site of terror but could not stay there for more than 50 seconds. Perhaps he did not have the moral courage to face a hostile crowd or had no explanation to offer why the terrorists have better of our govt time and again.

The impossible was made possible, thanks to ineptitude of Shri Chidambaram. The citizens of India were so angry and anguished that they did not receive Sonia Gandhi on her return home cheerfully after five weeks after a surgery for an undisclosed ailment. “Sonia Gandhi Hai Hai” was what greeted her at the airport. I wonder if she could believe her ears.

It is time we Indians closed our ranks and fought against the terrorists together. It does not show our leaders in good light that they trade charges instead of catching terrorists and bringing them to book. The terrorist outfits are praying that Arun jetley and Chidambaram must keep their horns locked longer so that there are more cases of terror and terrorists have an opportunity to get away.

Who cares for the Republic of India, asks the common man.

By Chitranjan Sawant

Email:  upvanom@yahoo.com