GUEST COLUMN
As Leftists look out for an Escape Route,
Business Houses want Government to continue
By:
PALASH BISWAS
Terror attacks and their prevention
by: RAM PUNIYANI
As Leftists look out for an
Escape Route,
Business Houses want Government to continue
By:
PALASH BISWAS
India’s
ruling Congress party says its Government would not collapse over nuclear
deal with the US,
despite warnings by its communist allies of “serious consequences” if it
does not put the pact on hold. The police continued to find and defuse bombs
throughout the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on Sunday as no one dares
to disobey the corporate dictates as Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and
UPA chairperson adopt a tough stance in face of the Leftist threat of dire
consequences. After the meetings of CPIM Polit Bureau and Central Committee,
it is quite clear that the Left is not going to pull down the GOI on Asian
NATO issue. Rather it is seeking for an escape route, but Congress
leadership is not obliging. Internal security conditions deteriorate as
Hyderabad
bomb blast heralds the escalation of war against terrorism right into the
heart of India.
Sangh Parivar while supporting the Left stance on Nuke Deal continues the
intense hatred campaign against Dalits as well as Muslims and demands
revival of POTA. Virtually ruling out revival of tough anti-terror laws like
POTA, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has said that despite having
intelligence information on likely terror strikes, it was not possible to
determine when and where terrorists could strike. Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh also chaired a high-level meeting to assess the security scenario in
the aftermath of twin blasts in Hyderabad. The meeting was
attended by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who briefed the Prime Minister
about his visit to the Andhra Pradesh capital. The meeting was also attended
by National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta,
Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and Director of the Intelligence Bureau
P C Haldar.
On the other hand, refusing to abide by the recent Supreme Court judgment,
President Pervez Musharraf has said that exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif would not be allowed to return to
Pakistan
to take part in the general elections slated for later this year. “The
government will neither allow the Sharif brothers to come back nor would
they be given a free hand if they chose to return. If Nawaz Sharif is not
honouring his ‘exile’ deal, the government will put him behind bars or send
him back to Saudi Arabia,”
The News quoted Musharraf as saying.
Considering petitions filed by the deposed Premier and his brother Shahbaz
Sharif, the apex court had ruled that they were free to return to the
Islamic nation after seven years in “forced” exile. Musharraf held an
emergency meeting of the ruling party MPs at the Presidency amid reports
that Sharif might return home possibly by next month to lead Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz’s campaign in the general polls in Pakistan.
In India the Left parties have chalked
a big plan to hit the streets in September against the UPA government. From
naval exercises to price rise, a host of items are there on the red radar,
which will be topped by the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Politically, the Left parties want to showcase the ‘people-friendly’ version
of their anti-US stand as they perceive that the nuclear deal is
incomprehensible to most of their voters. Within Parliament too, the Left
intends to raise issues like the Srikrishna Commission report on the Mumbai
riots, the recommendations of the Sachar Committee, price rise and farmers’
suicides.
Ratan Tata has already declared that the Indo US deal is in the best
interest of India and now
the Indian Industry stands behind Tatas. Let us see how the equations change
as money is most needed to face an election anywhere in this world. Even a
regimented party like CPIM may not dare to close the financial options!
According to an Indian Express report, perturbed by political crisis over
the Indo-US nuclear deal, top CEOs have expressed fears that a mid-term poll
forced on the country will derail the rhythm of the economy that is growing
by over 8.5 per cent. According to a survey conducted by industry chamber
ASSOCHAM, as many as 91 per cent of the CEOs interviewed felt that it made
no sense to impose elections on the issue of nuclear deal which would do
good to the country. The industry chamber surveyed around 235 CEOs. Nearly
73 per cent of the CEOs felt that snap polls would certainly derail the GDP
growth, ASSOCHAM said in a statement. Political activities have an important
bearing on the health of an economy.
As many as 67 per cent of the industry leaders felt that if a new government
assumes power and revisits plan policies in the initial stages of the 11th
five year plan, it is likely to hamper the growth of corporate who have made
long-term plans based on these policies.
Terror attacks and their prevention
by: RAM PUNIYANI
In India
revival of draconian laws like POTA and TADA is being advocated with the
plea that only harsh laws can curb the tendency of terrorism, but why should
we forget that terrorism flourished even during the NDA rule when POTA and
TADA were very much in force?
The Hyderabad blasts on August 2007 at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chaat, on the heels of
blasts in Mecca Masjid in April 2007, are too tragic to be expressed in
words. In the ghastly incident many innocents got killed adding one more
tally to the acts of insanity which are going on for past few years in the
country. Since serial blasts of 1993 in Mumbai, over 12 major terror attacks
have taken place across the country. In Kashmir
the militancy which began around the slogan of Kashmiriayt went through the
roof with Al Qaeda entering the Valley after their mission of defeating
Russian army was over. Al Qaeda happens to be a US-CIA creation, propped up
for its proxy war against USSR,
whose armies had occupied
Afghanistan. The number of innocents killed
in North East has been an equal if not bigger than in
Kashmir. The NE problem has been revolving around the issues of
ethnicity the worst of which was experienced in Nagaland and now
Assam
and Manipur are feeling the heat.
Mumbai probably has been the most unfortunate city as far as the blasts are
concerned. After the notorious blasts of 1993, Mumbai witnessed blasts in
2003. Again in 2006 Mumbai experienced blasts in trains, but it was only the
serial blasts of 1993 where genuine investigation was done. These acts of
terrorism were considered as a response to the Godhra carnage, but these are
mere presumption and unless proper investigations are held these
presumptions will remain presumptions far away from truth. Terror attacks on
Mosques or in front of them at prime times like afternoon Namaz when the
congregations are heavy have also have become order of the day. In April
2006, in one of the less publicized cases a blast that took place in a
private house of a Bajrangdal activist at Nanded had killed two inmates on
the spot.
Today it can easily be concluded that terrorism has roots in three major
problems. First, the politics of establishing control of oil resources,
which has given birth and rise to terror outfits like Al Qaeda. Second, the
ethnicity factor that is helping terrorists establish their control in
places like Kashmir, North East and
Sri Lanka. And the third one is the
polarization of communities on communal lines.
But is there any concrete policy to counter this rapidily spreading threat
to human society other than the much hyped war on terrorism under the
leadership of America
that can genuinely be called as mother of terrorism? In India revival of draconian laws like
POTA and TADA is being advocated with the plea that only harsh laws can curb
the tendency of terrorism, but why should we forget that terrorism
flourished even during the NDA rule when POTA and TADA were very much in
force? One wonders when men and women are mentally prepared to get
themselves killed how can harsh laws and policies deter them from killing
others? For every action there is equal and opposite reaction is a time
tested law of nature. By using force against terrorists we can only
strengthen their belief in terrorism thereby helping them indirectly. Need
of the hour therefore is to invent some soft measures to tackle the menace
of terrorism.
Now when there are ample proofs to prove that terrorism and anti-terrorism
are nothing except blatant efforts being done to control the vast oil
resources by both USA
and Alqida there is a need to reshape the war against terrorism. For his
vested interest if Alqaida has been exploiting Muslim sentiments it is America that has
been exploiting others in the name of fight against terrorism. Both the
warring parties being chips of the same block need to be tackled equally and
the only way to do so is to educate people about their hidden agenda. When,
for a common it hardly matters in whose control remain the oil wells, then
why should he or she be a party in this tug of war? Let it be made clear
that Muslims will not get oil free of cost if bin Laden becomes oil king and
nor will it be free for those supporting Bush if he succeeds in capturing
the oil fields.
Dialogue process between India
and Pakistan
has already paved way for return of peace. Now it is time that dialogue
between man to man, between region to region and between party to party is
initiated. A great deal of success has already been achieved in Nagaland. If
followed in right earnest dialogue process in
Jammu and Kashmir will also yield favourable results
returning the paradise on earth to its original glory. Winning hearts
cutting across religious lines is the key to make the world beautiful. It is
the political alienation, which is the root cause of the psyche of
terrorists and unless this is properly addressed seeds of alienation will
continue sprouting in one or the other manifestation.
