In the past, communal riots struck India singly. You either had Hindu-Muslim strife or Hindu-Christian. Never as a secular state did we have to face this poison simultaneously. Homegrown Islamic terrorism is possibly an even bigger threat. We could, in the past, comfort ourselves with the belief that all Islamic terrorism came from across the border. That comfort level is no longer available. The Indian Mujahideen are our own boys nurtured, educated and sensitised by our own democracy. Their ability to strike at will is at once frightening and inexplicable. No one in our security establishment has any idea of how big these organisations are, where they are located, how they are funded, how they operate, what is their command structure. It is not surprising, therefore, that the odd arrest or killing of one militant has no effect on the murderous capability of the organisations.
The Congress, no surprise, is getting the worst of both worlds. The Hindus think the party practises votebank politics. The Muslims think the Congress targets them unfairly while ignoring Hindu terrorist groups. Ordinarily, I would sympathise with the Congress predicament. In the current scenario, I don’t. If the party finds itself between a rock and a hard place, it is a self-inflicted wound. The Congress response has been so confusing, so un-nuanced and so unsophisticated that its own workers are not sure what the party’s stand is.
Just look at the Congress reaction to the Jamia Nagar encounter. It has taken multiple positions. Yes, it was a fake encounter; yes, it was a genuine encounter with two dreaded terrorists killed; yes, it seems highly suspicious; yes, we need a judicial inquiry; yes, we should let the law take its own course and suspend judgement.
Is this a serious political party or a joke? This alleged Congress chamcha is completely disillusioned!
