Terrorists seek to divide India, Indians must unite
Business Standard / New Delhi Jul 15, 2011, 00:34 IST
Terrorists and extremists who kill Indians seek to divide the people of India. Every terror attack is an attempt to sow the seeds of sectional hatred and insecurity. Terrorists do not aim to kill people as an end, they do that as a means to divide people along communal or other sectional lines. While the mature response of ordinary Indian people to such provocations has been inspiring, many politicians and mediapersons have sought to exploit a national tragedy for sectional gains. It’s a pity that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been tempted to politicise a human tragedy and sections of the electronic media have been chasing angry viewers, sensationalising their anguish.
Terrorism is neither a new threat to India nor one that is likely to disappear soon. Different governments have had to deal with it over the years. Moreover, to imagine that all terror is exported from Pakistan is to remain blind to emerging domestic sources of extremism in Indian political life. Islamic and Hindu extremists, Maoists, separatists, insurgents and suchlike are all resorting to violence to further their political goals. Given the nature of the beast, it is time the government, political parties and the media responded in a measured and focused way. It is a measure of the maturity of Mumbaikars that the response of ordinary people in Mumbai has been more inspiring than that of most political parties.
India’s record in dealing with terrorism has improved under the able leadership of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. His measured, informed and thoughtful statement on television and his responses have inspired confidence. His transparent and honest statement to the media should be welcomed. He was right to state that no one should speculate about the identity of the terrorists without the availability of facts. The response of the people of Mumbai, the state government and the central government this time has been better than ever. Mr Chidambaram has provided impressive leadership to the Union home ministry since those tragic days of the 26/11 attacks. He has been able to impart a greater degree of professionalism to the functioning of the national security apparatus. It is just as well that he was urged to stay put in his present job by the prime minister.
Till the identity of the terrorists is established, it would not be fair to indulge in any finger-pointing, even at Pakistan. One of the aims of religious extremists in South Asia is, in fact, to disrupt the process of normalisation in the subcontinent. It would be a pity if South Asia’s politicians and media facilitate that disruption by the manner of their response to such terror attacks. Both Hindus and Muslims have died in Mumbai this Wednesday. They were all Indians and those who killed them were India’s enemies. The country must unite in its response, and not fall prey to the machinations of those who seek to divide India.
The two national parties should, in fact, cooperate in taking forward the good work of the interlocutors in finding a just solution to a problem which has poisoned the sub-continent for too long, one manifestation of which is these terrible acts of insanity. One doesn't have to be a Mumbaikar or an Indian or an anxious parent to desire an end to the scourge of terrorism.
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