On one side are ranged the forces of the "tough state". Bomb sanctuaries across the LoC, teach India’s enemies a "lesson", break off diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, hang Afzal Guru next week. These are the same people who send smses like: "Not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims." We are reminded that in the time of Lauh Purush, terrorism was firmly in check and terrorists trembled because they knew L.K. Advani was sitting on the home minister’s chair.
They forget that the singlemost serious terrorist incident in independent India (the attack on Parliament) happened when Advani was in fact sitting on the HM’s gaddi and POTA was in place. The subtext of their charge is: Since the Congress has to appease Muslims for "votebank politics", terrorism will always flourish under Congress raj.
On the other side are the forces of terrorism-is-a-global-industry, we can do very little. We have stringent laws in place and security forces are fully vigilant. Meanwhile, we are asked to believe that every Muslim who is put in prison or interrogated is a victim of state harassment. How can the Congress, which lost two prime ministers at the hands of terrorists, be given lessons in counter-terrorism by a party which escorted three dreaded terrorists to Kandahar?
The Congress forgets that in its four-year rule, morale in India’s premier intelligence agencies has hit rock bottom due to rampant favouritism and interference. And the UPA has a national security advisor who is a gift to the Opposition. He is even more gaffe-prone than George Bush.
While the squabblers are squabbling, the nation bleeds. And TRP ratings of news channels go up. Who will put an end to this madness? I am not a terrorism expert, but I agree with Mr Advani that India is a "soft state"—it was soft under the NDA, it is soft under the UPA. There is, alas, no magic formula to ensure that Jaipur never happens again. As a concerned citizen, it seems to me that more than POTA and TADA we need to urgently revamp our intelligence-gathering systems. Major surgery, not tinkering, is required. Especially, intelligence from the communities in which terrorists find sanctuary and support. Prior information (even if it is occasionally false) is the critical lack in our fight against terror. Has any political party given a thought to that problem?
