Round The States

New Delhi, 3 December 2008

Mumbai’s Wake-Up Call

STATES PRIOROTIZE INTERNAL SECURITY

By Insaf

Internal security is receiving at long last due priority across the States, thanks to the chill winds blowing from the barbaric mayhem in Mumbai. The Centre’s decision to set up a federal investigating agency and to strengthen anti-terror laws has been welcomed enthusiastically by all the Chief Ministers. So also the decision of Shivraj Patil, Vilasrao Deshmukh and RR Patil to own moral responsibility for the terrorism in Mumbai and resign. But that by itself is not considered enough. Prima facie there have been failures at various operational levels. The warnings conveyed, for instance, by RAW (Research Analysis Wing; India’s external intelligence agency) were ignored. More heads must roll once the investigations are complete. The State chiefs are happy that the Prime Minister convened an emergency all-party meeting to consider the horrendous development. They would now like the PM to call an early meeting of Chief Ministers, as proposed by the BJP, to thrash out future action.

Meanwhile, the demand for National Security Guards, whose commandos rendered glorious service in Mumbai, has snowballed. The Prime Minister had announced that the NSG would in future be located in four hubs and not just at Manesar, near Gurgaon. This was generally taken to imply location of the elite group in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. But other States have also come forward with demands. Karnataka has not only sought a unit of the NSG in Bangalore, but has also decided to take an all-party delegation to New Delhi to back its claim. In a letter to Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister, B. S. Yeddyurappa, has stated: “You are aware of the economic and global importance of Bangalore, which houses a large number of defence organizations, prestigious research and development institutions, well-known information technology and biotechnology units. Hence, Bangalore needs the immediate attention of the Centre.”

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Karnataka Pushes Ahead

Happily, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have simultaneously decided to move ahead. Karnataka’s Chief Minister has announced the constitution of an Internal Security Wing, comprising around 750 personnel of the State police. Four existing wings --- Anti-Terrorist Cell, Anti-Naxal Force, Coastal Security Force and a section of the State Intelligence --- will be brought under the Internal Security Wing. Simultaneously, a State Security Commission would be constituted under the Home Minister and measures adopted to provide greater security to the aam aadmi. At present, the State has an average of just 92 police personnel for every one lakh of population. This is proposed to be increased to 150 policemen for every one lakh of people. In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Karunanidhi has asked for a detachment of NSG to be stationed in Chennai. He also wants the Centre’s help in acquiring sophisticated weapons and gadgets for the Tamil Nadu Commando Force, which presently has 290 well-trained men.

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Kashmiri voters have done it for the third successive time. Ignoring boycott calls by the separatists and anti-national elements, the voters of Kupwara, Ground Zero of Indo-Pakistan hostilities, came out in a big say last Sunday to record a 67 per cent turnout in phase three. Voting in the first two phases was 68.9 and 67 per cent. Voting has so far been completed in 21 of the 87 constituencies. This leaves a balance of 68 constituencies, which will go to the polls in four remaining phases. The turnout thus far has understandably gladdened New Delhi and the nationalists. But one thing needs to be noted. The polling so far has been in the easy part of the State even though the separatists had a strong base in some of the 21 constituencies. There are many more separatists- dominated regions in the remaining 68 constituencies. These include areas like Sopore to which Hurriyat leader Ali Shah Geelani belongs and Soiberg from where Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahauddin hails. The tough part is yet to poll.

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DMK Gains In Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi and his DMK have reason to heave a sigh of relief and rejoice. The 18-month long bitter fighting between the DMK’s first family and the Maran brothers, owners of the powerful Sun TV network, has ended, following a dramatic patch-up. In fact both families smoked the proverbial peace pipe at a get-together at the residence of the party patriarch on Monday. The feud between the two families intensified in May 2007 when the Maran family-owned Tamil daily, Dinakaran, published a popularity rating on Karunanidhi’s possible successors, giving poor rating to his eldest son, M.K. Azhagiri, and his poetess daughter, Kanimozhi, promoting the patriarch’s second son, M.K. Stalin. This led to a violent attack, allegedly by Azhagiri’s supporters on the Dinakaran offices in Madurai and eventually to the resignation of Dayanidhi Maran, grand nephew of Karunanidhi, as the Union Telecom and IT Minister. The patch-up will ensure that the DMK faces the next general election to the Lok Sabha  unitedly and in full strength.  

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Anti-Sikh Riots Of 1984

Bitterness continues among the victims of the anti-Sikh pogrom of 1984 in Delhi following Indira Gandhi’s assassination which led to the massacre of some 3,000 people. They have expressed their anger this time by voting in large numbers against the Congress in the recent election to the Delhi Assembly, having chosen earlier to boycott successive elections. The victims see a new hope in an independent candidate for the Tilak Vihar constituency in West Delhi, the scene of barbaric murders 24 years ago. Fresh anger against the Congress has been fuelled by the party’s decision to field a retired police officer, who according to the riot victims, helped the 1984 rioters. Said a prominent Sikh: “We have lost hope in the present Government and are, therefore, backing a candidate who understands our grief. The Congress initially baled out its guilty leaders like HKL Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar by giving them senior positions. Now they have given a ticket to a police officer involved in the riots. Hence our decision to punish the Congress.”

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Journos Pay Ultimate Price

Unknown to fellow countrymen elsewhere, journalists in the insurgency-afflicted north east regions are having to pay the ultimate price for upholding the finest traditions of their profession. Time and again, they find themselves hemmed in by the insensitive policies of successive Governments and aggressive demands of the militants, who want their anti-national propaganda published verbatim on the front pages of the newspapers. Unidentified gunmen shot dead Kokrajhar district correspondent of a leading Assamese daily Amar Asom, Jagjit Saikia, on November 22. Earlier on November 17, Konsam Roshikanta, a sub-editor of the Imphal Free Press, an English daily, was abducted, blind folded and taken to a deserted hillock and then shot dead. Since 1991, 16 journalists have been killed in Assam, according to the Journalists Action Committee of Assam. Five journalists have been gunned down in Manipur for refusing to toe the militants line. Tragically, the Manipur Government has done little so far to punish the killers.  ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)