Manmohan Singh: 'Terrorists have a misplaced ideology'

The problems of terrorism and Left wing extremism are the two major challenges that our society and polity face today. The terrorist attack in Delhi last Wednesday is a stark reminder that there can be no let up in our vigilance. Terrorists seek to justify such violence based on misplaced sense of ideology. The institutions and instruments of our democratic polity allow sufficient opportunity for articulating differing points of view without recourse to violence. No civilised society can tolerate or endorse loss of innocent lives in the pursuit of any ideology. This council must unequivocally send out a message that pursuit of violence cannot be justified under any circumstance and reaffirm our collective resolve to fight the menace of terrorism in all its manifestations with all the means at our disposal.

We must continuously upgrade and strengthen our investigating agencies and our intelligence gathering apparatus to deal more effectively with the newer methods and technologies that terrorists and Naxals adopt. In the last few years, we have tried hard to achieve this. The intelligence sharing mechanism under the multi-agency centre has been bolstered and the National Intelligence Grid, called the NATGRID, is being implemented so that intelligence from various sources can be accessed and analysed to identify actionable points. Regional hubs of the National Security Guards have been set up to enable quick deployment of our counter-terrorism strike forces, when required. Coastal security has also been strengthened. State and central police organisations are being connected on a computer network through the crime and criminal tracking network system.

In our federal polity, creating a sense of oneness among our citizens and ensuring their welfare have to be the joint endeavour of both the centre and states. Together, over the last few years, we have taken several steps to ensure greater involvement of our people in the affairs of the nation. The tripartite agreement for setting up the Gorkhaland Territorial Authority and several suspension of operations agreements in the northeast have helped bring peace. Our interlocutors for Jammu & Kashmir and the northeast are exploring ways of finding political solutions. However, major challenges still remain.

Our democracy has struck deeper roots in the recent years with the strengthening of local governance institutions and a more informed and active citizenry. Jharkhand has held Panchayat elections after decades. The people of Jammu & Kashmir turned out in large numbers for the Panchayat elections held this year, including in areas that have experienced militancy. Security from internal and external disturbances is a sine qua non for a nation state and steps to ensure this have always been accorded the highest priority in government. Security matters have been regularly reviewed and discussed jointly with state governments. We need to identify and address the causes of radicalisation of some of our youth. Very clearly, lack of productive employment opportunities for our young men and women is one factor which aids such radicalisation. Education and skill development opportunities have a major role to play in addressing this problem. The launch of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan will enable us to build on the gains made in elementary education. Whether we are able to reap the benefits of our large population of young people would depend critically on the kind of skills we are able to impart to them. Our skill development initiative is aimed at equipping our youth with the right kind of skills. In dealing with civil disturbances, which is an agenda of today’s meeting, we should keep in mind that excessive use of force often proves counter-productive. We need to distinguish between criminal activities and misguided discontent that finds unlawful expression. It is with this intent that the home ministry has circulated instructions for dealing with crowds in a non-lethal manner.

It is a matter of great satisfaction that in recent years, relations among various communities have remained harmonious. Members of this council have played an active role in ensuring that people respond with maturity to developments that may otherwise flare up communal tempers. Nevertheless, we need to maintain a continuous vigil in this regard. While law must take its own course, we need to ensure that our investigating agencies are free from biases and prejudices of any kind. The media also has to play an increasingly important and constructive role in promoting peace and harmony in our society.

Edited excerpts from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech to the National Integration Council in New Delhi on September 10