Unity on internal security

Irrespective of their political affiliations and differences over most of the issues relating to governance and policy matters the Chief Ministers of all the Indian states have shown a rare unity by fully backing the Central government over the issue of internal security.
The has clearly sent out a signal not only to country’s estranged neighbours particularly Pakistan but also to those armed rebels who have been waging war against the state that India can never compromise with the threat to its sovereignty and would defeat both external and internal forces, who are out to dismantle it.
It was a unique display of oneness among all the Chief Ministers who had gathered to attend a meeting called by the Union home minister the other day to evolve a common strategy to deal with the threat to country’s internal security, when Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a hardcore opponent of ruling United Progress Alliance government on almost all the issues, declared that his government is committed to fully back the Central government’s efforts to counter terrorism and Maoist rebellion. What was most surprising was that Modi who had a day before lamented the UPA government for failing to contain spiraling food prices had full praise for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram for the manner in which both have been handling issues relating to internal security. Under the Manmohan Singh regime, the opposition-ruled states did not face any discrimination in the matter of internal security, Modi said in his address to the day-long conference. The response of the Home Minister and Home Secretary is swift and positive whenever there is a demand from the states on internal security, he added. Even Chief Ministers of other opposition ruled states agreed with Modi.
In the conference on internal security, which deliberated upon all aspects of the subject Prime Minister Singh said that hostile groups and elements were operating from across the border to perpetrate terrorist acts in our country, and Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of such acts from these groups. There was a marked decline in the number of terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir from 2008 to 2009. Singh however, expressed concern at the increase in the number of infiltration bids.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram described the Pakistan-based terror groups as dark forces, which were opposed to India. They would be defeated whenever confronted, he said. In his opening statement, he said such militant groups as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen held a meeting at Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Thursday. Their weapons were on display, and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear that these dark forces will not succeed in their designs, Chidambaram said.
The observations of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister assume significance because they have come at a time when India has offered to resume talks with Pakistan, which remained suspended after the Mumbai terror attacks.
The outcome of the conference on internal security could be considered as a warning to Pakistan that India would bargain hard as and when dialogue between the two starts. It is also quite clear that during the course of peace talks India would leave no stone unturned to force Pakistan to put in place a mechanism to dismantle the terror infrastructure present on its soil. New Delhi is also mulling to propose a new mechanism under which Islamabad is held responsible if any Mumbai type terror strike is repeated. Unlike, its first term in the government, the UPA seems taking the issue of internal security more seriously in its second term as the Home Minister Chidambaram has initiated a sustained dialogue with the governments of all the states irrespective of parties ruling there to evolve a common strategy to deal with the insurgency within the country be it Maoists or various armed insurgent groups in north eastern region.
The recent effort in this direction is an offer made by Chidambaram to Maoists that the government is prepared to talk to them provided they lay down arms and come forward for dialogue. However, it is very difficult to predict whether or not the armed guerrillas would pay heed to Centre”s overture. They might do so to use the ceasefire period to consolidate their strength that has been reduced in the recent past by the massive combat operations launched by the para-military forces and police in Maoist-hit states. Currently, 13 Indian states are in the grip of Maoist insurgency that began from a small place called Naxalbari in West Bengal state in early 1960s. Despite various steps taken by the successive governments at the Centre and states, India has failed to wipe out this menace that has taken the lives of thousands of policemen and security personnel over the years.
Neelam Jeena, NPA