http://ibnlive.in.com/news/congress-slumber-ends-says-wont-tolerate-terrorism/79391-3.html
New Delhi: Zero tolerance is the only answer to terrorism, the Congress party said on Saturday in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, calling upon Pakistan to honour its promise not to let its territory be used for such strikes against India.
Zero tolerance is the only answer to terrorism, the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making group, said in a resolution at its Saturday night meeting here, hours after the terror strike in Mumbai was put an end to.
The country's main ruling party also reiterated its resolve to give a "fitting and hard-hitting reply" to terrorists who dare to challenge the sovereignty of the nation, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters after the meeting.
The meeting, held at party president Sonia Gandhi's residence, was also attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh among others.
The Congress called upon Pakistan to honour its commitment not to allow the use of its territory for acts of terrorism against India, following reports that the terrorists who struck in south Mumbai late Wednesday had come from Pakistan using sea route.
The Congress also urged the Manmohan Singh government to take immediate and concrete action to revamp the security set-up to make it more responsive and to ensure that such incidents of terror are pre-empted and prevented, Dwivedi said.
The Congress said India must respond unitedly and in a resolute manner to meet such challenges.
Without referring to the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it criticised "the political parties playing divisive politics" for politicising such tragedies.
The terrorists, numbering at least 11, sneaked into Mumbai late Wednesday and attacked people at 10 places. At three spots, they also took hostages who were rescued only Saturday morning. At least 183 people have been killed and 239 have been left injured.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
India's Antiterror Blunders - Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122783260486063039.html
India's Antiterror Blunders
Years of appeasing militants has made the problem worse.
By SADANAND DHUME
Article
New Delhi
As the story of the carnage in Mumbai unfolds, it is tempting to dismiss it as merely another sorry episode in India's flailing effort to combat terrorism. Over the past four years, Islamist groups have struck in New Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, among other places. The death toll from terrorism -- not counting at least 119 killed in Mumbai on Wednesday and Thursday -- stands at over 4,000, which gives India the dubious distinction of suffering more casualties since 2004 than any country except Iraq.
The attacks highlight India's particular vulnerability to terrorist violence. But they are also a warning to any country that values what Mumbai symbolizes for Indians: pluralism, enterprise and an open society. Put simply, India's failure to protect its premier city offers a textbook example for fellow democracies on how not to deal with militant Islam.
The litany of errors is long. Unlike their counterparts in the West, or in East Asia, India's perpetually squabbling leaders have failed to put national security above partisan politics. The country's antiterrorism effort is reactive and episodic rather than proactive and sustained. Its public discourse on Islam oscillates between crude, anti-Muslim bigotry and mindless sympathy for largely unjustified Muslim grievance-mongering. Its failure to either charm or cow its Islamist-friendly neighbors -- Pakistan and Bangladesh -- reveals a limited grasp of statecraft.
Finally, India's inability to modernize its 150-million strong Muslim population, the second largest after Indonesia's, has spawned a community that is ill-equipped to seize new economic opportunities and susceptible to militant Islam's faith-based appeal.
To be sure, not all of India's problems are of its own making. In Pakistan, it has a neighbor founded on the basis of religion, whose government -- along with those of Iran and Saudi Arabia -- has long been one of the world's principal exporters of militant Islamic fervor.
Bangladesh also hosts a panoply of jihadist groups. As in Pakistan, public sympathy with the militant Islamic worldview forestalls any meaningful effort against those who regularly use the country as a sanctuary to plan mayhem in India. America's unsuccessful Pakistan policy -- too many carrots and too few sticks -- has also contributed to a fundamentally unstable neighborhood.
Nonetheless, the reflexive Indian response to most every act of terrorism is to apportion blame rather than to seek a solution that will prevent, or at least minimize, its recurrence. Even Indonesia -- a still-poor Muslim-majority nation where sympathy for militants runs deeper than it does in India -- has done an infinitely better job of recognizing that the protection of citizens' lives is any government's first responsibility. A superbly trained, federal antiterrorism force called Detachment 88 has ensured that country has not suffered a terrorist attack in more than three years.
By contrast, India's leaders -- who invariably swan around with armed guards paid for by the taxpayer -- can't even agree on a legal framework to keep the country safe. On taking office in 2004, one of the first acts of the ruling Congress Party was to scrap a federal antiterrorism law that strengthened witness protection and enhanced police powers.
The Congress Party has stalled similar state-level legislation in Gujarat, which is ruled by the opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. And it was a Congress government that kowtowed to fundamentalist pressure and made India the first country to ban Mumbai-born Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" in 1988.
The BJP hasn't exactly distinguished itself either. In 1999, the hijacking of an Indian aircraft to then Taliban-ruled Afghanistan led a BJP government to release three hardened militants, including Omar Sheikh Saeed, the former London School of Economics student who would go on to murder Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
More recently, the BJP, driven by tribal religious solidarity and a penchant for conspiracy theories, has failed to demand the same tough treatment for alleged Hindu terrorists as it does for Muslims. Minor parties, especially those dependent on the Muslim vote, compete to earn fundamentalists' favor.
In sum, the Indian approach to terrorism has been consistently haphazard and weak-kneed. When faced with fundamentalist demands, India's democratically elected leaders have regularly preferred caving to confrontation on a point of principle. The country's institutions and culture have abetted a widespread sense of Muslim separateness from the national mainstream. The country's diplomats and soldiers have failed to stabilize the neighborhood. The ongoing drama in Mumbai underscores the price both Indians and non-Indians caught unawares must now pay.
India's Antiterror Blunders
Years of appeasing militants has made the problem worse.
By SADANAND DHUME
Article
New Delhi
As the story of the carnage in Mumbai unfolds, it is tempting to dismiss it as merely another sorry episode in India's flailing effort to combat terrorism. Over the past four years, Islamist groups have struck in New Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, among other places. The death toll from terrorism -- not counting at least 119 killed in Mumbai on Wednesday and Thursday -- stands at over 4,000, which gives India the dubious distinction of suffering more casualties since 2004 than any country except Iraq.
The attacks highlight India's particular vulnerability to terrorist violence. But they are also a warning to any country that values what Mumbai symbolizes for Indians: pluralism, enterprise and an open society. Put simply, India's failure to protect its premier city offers a textbook example for fellow democracies on how not to deal with militant Islam.
The litany of errors is long. Unlike their counterparts in the West, or in East Asia, India's perpetually squabbling leaders have failed to put national security above partisan politics. The country's antiterrorism effort is reactive and episodic rather than proactive and sustained. Its public discourse on Islam oscillates between crude, anti-Muslim bigotry and mindless sympathy for largely unjustified Muslim grievance-mongering. Its failure to either charm or cow its Islamist-friendly neighbors -- Pakistan and Bangladesh -- reveals a limited grasp of statecraft.
Finally, India's inability to modernize its 150-million strong Muslim population, the second largest after Indonesia's, has spawned a community that is ill-equipped to seize new economic opportunities and susceptible to militant Islam's faith-based appeal.
To be sure, not all of India's problems are of its own making. In Pakistan, it has a neighbor founded on the basis of religion, whose government -- along with those of Iran and Saudi Arabia -- has long been one of the world's principal exporters of militant Islamic fervor.
Bangladesh also hosts a panoply of jihadist groups. As in Pakistan, public sympathy with the militant Islamic worldview forestalls any meaningful effort against those who regularly use the country as a sanctuary to plan mayhem in India. America's unsuccessful Pakistan policy -- too many carrots and too few sticks -- has also contributed to a fundamentally unstable neighborhood.
Nonetheless, the reflexive Indian response to most every act of terrorism is to apportion blame rather than to seek a solution that will prevent, or at least minimize, its recurrence. Even Indonesia -- a still-poor Muslim-majority nation where sympathy for militants runs deeper than it does in India -- has done an infinitely better job of recognizing that the protection of citizens' lives is any government's first responsibility. A superbly trained, federal antiterrorism force called Detachment 88 has ensured that country has not suffered a terrorist attack in more than three years.
By contrast, India's leaders -- who invariably swan around with armed guards paid for by the taxpayer -- can't even agree on a legal framework to keep the country safe. On taking office in 2004, one of the first acts of the ruling Congress Party was to scrap a federal antiterrorism law that strengthened witness protection and enhanced police powers.
The Congress Party has stalled similar state-level legislation in Gujarat, which is ruled by the opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. And it was a Congress government that kowtowed to fundamentalist pressure and made India the first country to ban Mumbai-born Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" in 1988.
The BJP hasn't exactly distinguished itself either. In 1999, the hijacking of an Indian aircraft to then Taliban-ruled Afghanistan led a BJP government to release three hardened militants, including Omar Sheikh Saeed, the former London School of Economics student who would go on to murder Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
More recently, the BJP, driven by tribal religious solidarity and a penchant for conspiracy theories, has failed to demand the same tough treatment for alleged Hindu terrorists as it does for Muslims. Minor parties, especially those dependent on the Muslim vote, compete to earn fundamentalists' favor.
In sum, the Indian approach to terrorism has been consistently haphazard and weak-kneed. When faced with fundamentalist demands, India's democratically elected leaders have regularly preferred caving to confrontation on a point of principle. The country's institutions and culture have abetted a widespread sense of Muslim separateness from the national mainstream. The country's diplomats and soldiers have failed to stabilize the neighborhood. The ongoing drama in Mumbai underscores the price both Indians and non-Indians caught unawares must now pay.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Terror is its own end
With great anger and frustration I write this piece in the back drop of the Mumbai terrorist attack. While I wish not to dwell on the details of the attack as the 24 X 7 circus media is more than capable of filling in the gory details, I would like to put in perspective what has happened and happening currently in India.
Firstly, this is not the worst terrorist attack that has happened in terms of sheer numbers and if history is any proof, this one certainly will not be the last. We now enter the phase of the usual cliches uttered by Manmohan Singh and his sidekick ShivRaj Patil, understandably the leader of the Congress party has wisely distanced herself away from all this mess. We will now be told all of these -
maintain communal harmony
terrorists will be punished
We will take steps to avoid future incidents
Terrorists do not want peace (This one is a classic from Shivraj Patil)
Terror has no religion (waiting for confirmation from the jihadis on that one)
etc etc etc
Here is the truth - neither is the state capable nor willing to take this fight to the logical end and address the root causes of the problems. The police are ill equipped, ill trained and poorly motivated, poorly compensated. Police reforms have been pending for the last 50 years while terrorists have moved with the times and now adopt innovative means to attack and kill Indian nationals in Indian soil. Our current democratic system dis-incentivises political leaders from encouraging integration of the disparate elements in India into the national character. This country has an undeniably Hindu character but every effort is made to efface that character . What continues boldfacedly is appeasement of minorities which has proven to be counter productive and inimical to national security. We have to remember that there is a "they" and there is a "us". "They" cannot become "us" unless they swear by the fact that this is a hindu dominated country and is hindu in character. Phrases like "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam" have to used with care and not to mean that we are all one. This certainly is not true. "They" cannot be "us".
Terrorists usually have demands, as it is in this case. But what is it about Jihad that is different. In the case of Jihad, terror on the non believers is its own end. Terror is the decision that the believers impose on the "Kafirs" at a time and place of their choosing. with a intensity of their choosing and with a result of their choosing. Hindus are naive to believe that the cancer that was planted at the time of partition and was left un-operated would not spread. With a failed democracy and a large un-integrated population of muslims it was a matter of time that the cancer of jihad spread to the rest of India. Neither have the governments shows alacrity in dealing with this with a firm decisive manner. With a litany of peceived greiviences, Indian muslims have proven to be a fertile ground for indoctrination for the number of hostile countries that surround us. The whole of India is now open, thanks to treachery of Nehruvian Secular extremists, to any number of terror attacks. The consequences for them are limited and the impact and gains are large. India dies while the government preaches to us the virtues of secularism and the horrors of "Hindu Terror".
India is now on the verge of civil war, the state machinery has completely failed to ensure implementation of the constitution in large parts of India. The average Hindu now feels the pain, he wants to see results not mindless platitudes. Its now or never for the hindus to show their will, if not now another partition is around the corner. My suggestion to all Hindus, apply for a Gun licence and buy a weapon. Times are a changing, you will probably use it sooner than you think.
Death to India, Arise o Bharat!!
Firstly, this is not the worst terrorist attack that has happened in terms of sheer numbers and if history is any proof, this one certainly will not be the last. We now enter the phase of the usual cliches uttered by Manmohan Singh and his sidekick ShivRaj Patil, understandably the leader of the Congress party has wisely distanced herself away from all this mess. We will now be told all of these -
maintain communal harmony
terrorists will be punished
We will take steps to avoid future incidents
Terrorists do not want peace (This one is a classic from Shivraj Patil)
Terror has no religion (waiting for confirmation from the jihadis on that one)
etc etc etc
Here is the truth - neither is the state capable nor willing to take this fight to the logical end and address the root causes of the problems. The police are ill equipped, ill trained and poorly motivated, poorly compensated. Police reforms have been pending for the last 50 years while terrorists have moved with the times and now adopt innovative means to attack and kill Indian nationals in Indian soil. Our current democratic system dis-incentivises political leaders from encouraging integration of the disparate elements in India into the national character. This country has an undeniably Hindu character but every effort is made to efface that character . What continues boldfacedly is appeasement of minorities which has proven to be counter productive and inimical to national security. We have to remember that there is a "they" and there is a "us". "They" cannot become "us" unless they swear by the fact that this is a hindu dominated country and is hindu in character. Phrases like "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam" have to used with care and not to mean that we are all one. This certainly is not true. "They" cannot be "us".
Terrorists usually have demands, as it is in this case. But what is it about Jihad that is different. In the case of Jihad, terror on the non believers is its own end. Terror is the decision that the believers impose on the "Kafirs" at a time and place of their choosing. with a intensity of their choosing and with a result of their choosing. Hindus are naive to believe that the cancer that was planted at the time of partition and was left un-operated would not spread. With a failed democracy and a large un-integrated population of muslims it was a matter of time that the cancer of jihad spread to the rest of India. Neither have the governments shows alacrity in dealing with this with a firm decisive manner. With a litany of peceived greiviences, Indian muslims have proven to be a fertile ground for indoctrination for the number of hostile countries that surround us. The whole of India is now open, thanks to treachery of Nehruvian Secular extremists, to any number of terror attacks. The consequences for them are limited and the impact and gains are large. India dies while the government preaches to us the virtues of secularism and the horrors of "Hindu Terror".
India is now on the verge of civil war, the state machinery has completely failed to ensure implementation of the constitution in large parts of India. The average Hindu now feels the pain, he wants to see results not mindless platitudes. Its now or never for the hindus to show their will, if not now another partition is around the corner. My suggestion to all Hindus, apply for a Gun licence and buy a weapon. Times are a changing, you will probably use it sooner than you think.
Death to India, Arise o Bharat!!
Manmohan Sings 100 day plan VS Jihadis 2 day plan
Cut back to Nov 23rd 2008 when Manmohan Singh talked tough on terror and said -
"I suggest establishment of a task force which would initiate a 100-day plan to develop an integrated capability to address emerging challenges in areas such as left wing extremism, terrorism and insurgency," the PM said." (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080073795)
Seems like the terrorists do not have as much patience to wait for 100 days, they have struck in a big way in 2 days!
"I suggest establishment of a task force which would initiate a 100-day plan to develop an integrated capability to address emerging challenges in areas such as left wing extremism, terrorism and insurgency," the PM said." (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080073795)
Seems like the terrorists do not have as much patience to wait for 100 days, they have struck in a big way in 2 days!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Delhi blast accused get the carrot, Malegaon accused the stick
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/UAPA_for_IM_MCOCA_for_Abhinav_Bharat/articleshow/3743221.cms
This differential treatment of terror accused by the Delhi Police special cell and Maharashtra ATS comes despite a fairly strong case against the arrested members of Simi-IM module who were involved not only in the plotting and executing the Delhi explosions on September 13 but also the blasts in Jaipur on May 13 and Ahmedabad on July 26 and planting bombs at Surat. While the case against Simi-IM module behind the Delhi blasts does not stand on confessions alone and is backed by circumstantial evidence, the case against Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh is built on confessions made by the accused to the police.
This differential treatment of terror accused by the Delhi Police special cell and Maharashtra ATS comes despite a fairly strong case against the arrested members of Simi-IM module who were involved not only in the plotting and executing the Delhi explosions on September 13 but also the blasts in Jaipur on May 13 and Ahmedabad on July 26 and planting bombs at Surat. While the case against Simi-IM module behind the Delhi blasts does not stand on confessions alone and is backed by circumstantial evidence, the case against Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh is built on confessions made by the accused to the police.
Reply to torture claims of Malegaon accused: court
The wheels finally begin to turn - http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1209340
MUMBAI: The special MCOCA court has directed the Maharashtra government to file its reply on the allegations of physical and mental torture levelled by SadhviPragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and other accusedin the Malegaon blast case by December 3.
Sadhvi, Purohit and other accused had on Monday in the court alleged that they were physically and mentally tortured by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials.
Special MCOCA Judge Y D Shinde directed the state to file its reply on the allegations on or before December 3.
The ATS had on Monday sought the custody of Pragya, Purohit and member of right wing group Abhinav Bharat Ajay Rahirkar to carry out further investigations.
However, the court had refused to grant them custody and remanded them and four other accused in judicial custody till December 3.
All the seven accused produced before the court on Monday alleged that they had been physically and mentally tortured by the ATS while they were in their custody.
Sadhvi had told the court that ATS officials had threatened to strip her and hang her upside down if she did not confess to her involvement in the blast.
Eleven people have been arrested so far for their involvement in the September 29 blast in which six persons were killed and over 80 injured.
MUMBAI: The special MCOCA court has directed the Maharashtra government to file its reply on the allegations of physical and mental torture levelled by SadhviPragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and other accusedin the Malegaon blast case by December 3.
Sadhvi, Purohit and other accused had on Monday in the court alleged that they were physically and mentally tortured by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials.
Special MCOCA Judge Y D Shinde directed the state to file its reply on the allegations on or before December 3.
The ATS had on Monday sought the custody of Pragya, Purohit and member of right wing group Abhinav Bharat Ajay Rahirkar to carry out further investigations.
However, the court had refused to grant them custody and remanded them and four other accused in judicial custody till December 3.
All the seven accused produced before the court on Monday alleged that they had been physically and mentally tortured by the ATS while they were in their custody.
Sadhvi had told the court that ATS officials had threatened to strip her and hang her upside down if she did not confess to her involvement in the blast.
Eleven people have been arrested so far for their involvement in the September 29 blast in which six persons were killed and over 80 injured.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Assam blasts does the disappearing act from Hindu too
Progress in investigations are not as important as what Mechelle Obama has to say about her daughter.
Fog of words created to confuse in Malegoan case
The political parties in Maharashtra are having a field day with the Malegoan blasts with the congress going on the offensive leaking news to selective journalists, using the ATS to settle scores with Hindu organistions, harassing the army and discrediting the army establishment by claiming that more officers can be involved. All that is appearing in the media is contradictory by itself. One one hand Sadhvi pragya was said to be the mastermind, now Lt Col Purohit it is. It was said in the news that there was no evidence to nail the Sadhvi, the army denies that Purohit had access to RDX. The whole situation has been deliberately obfuscated to prevent any rational thinking. Instead of alllowing itself to become a poodle of political parties, it will be good if the ATS conducts its probe impartially and without leaking selectively, news to the media. This is further damaging the already sullied reputation of the civilian investigating agencies.
Daily Pioneer (http://dailypioneer.com/) has ccome out with a great article in this regard - http://dailypioneer.com/DisplayContent.aspx?ContentID=133273&URLName=Army-ATS-at-loggerheads
Daily Pioneer (http://dailypioneer.com/) has ccome out with a great article in this regard - http://dailypioneer.com/DisplayContent.aspx?ContentID=133273&URLName=Army-ATS-at-loggerheads
Friday, November 7, 2008
The wheel has turned
Many decades of left leaning and liberal sermons at schools, colleges, temples, workplaces and homes has emasculated the Hindu and made him impervious to the encroachment of his rights all around him. While the process was slow under the British colonials and during the initial years of Independance, the pace of Hindu baiting and Hindu bashing has picked up pace under the Raj of Sonia Maino. In the last 60 years since Independance, no government has done more damage to the secular fabric of this country than the current Congress government. Starting with the atrocious Sachar commitee report and Manmohan Singh asserting that "Muslims have the first claim to resources" all the way to the threats to dismiss democratically elected governments in Karnataka and Orissa just because they were of the BJP, the current congress government has sidelined and pushed the Hindu into a corner with no chance to retain a semblance of dignity and self respect.
Congress governments in various states such as the ones in Andhra Pradesh and in Assam, have done eveything in their capacity to sideline Hindus and deprive them of their rights. the evangelical Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Samuel Rajasekara Reddy, wanted to build a Church in the same hills as the sacred Venkateshwara Temple of Tirupati. It was after vociferous protests that this was abandoned. However, the TTD board is filled with Christians, so much so that the contract for making the famous Tirupati Prasadam is awarded to a company headed by a Christian. This is inline with the precedence set by Sonia Maino in sidelining Hindus within the Congress. Her closest advisors are Christians such as Margeret Alva, Ambika Soni, AK Antony, Oscar Fernandez, Samuel Reddy. Take the case of Assam where despite intelligence reports of an impending attack, the congress government sat on its rear. In fact when the CM was informed that the blasts had actually occured, he chose to continue with the important task of seeing off Haj pilgrims rather than deal with the attack that eventually killed close to 80 people (per official reports) and wounded close to 400. It is obvious here that Hindu senitivities and lives are of the least concern to the Congress with vote bank politics taking precendence.
In such a senario, what should Hindus do to protect their lives and that of their loved ones, home and property.
1. The Hindu needs to align himself with organisations that have a distinctly Hindu flavor such as the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and so on.
2. Hindus more than anybody else neeed to be aware of the media bias against him an act by writing to editors and authors, when such articles are spotted.
3. The Hindu needs to arm himself by applying for a firearm licence. While this process is long and purposefully stewn with beuracratic mines, one needs to be patient and determined to get some means of self defence. The government is no longer capable of protecting the average Hindu and he is now left to his own means. Please refer to this website for details on how to apply for a licence - http://indiansforguns.com/. Refer to the website of the Indian Ordnance factory for various firearms available - http://ofbindia.gov.in/index.php?wh=Sporting%20Arms&lang=en. Join your local rifle assosciation and practice. Every Hindu sshould be capable of protecting his rights and the constitution. This is the first step. other non-lethal meanss such as pepper sprays are now available in India for personal protection.
4. Education starts from home. Speak with your family member on the dangers of the current divisive politics followed by the current Congress. Teach your kids the glorious history of the country. If we dont use our time in the present to protect their future, we lose our reasons for existence.
5. Interact with your community members and sound them out. Tie up with the local police to ensure emplementation of laws. Form neighbourhood watch commitees to keep an eye on the locality for any undesirables.
6. Use the RTI act. This is the single most important law that citizens to pry open the government cupboard of skeletons. Wikipedia has a good wwriteup on RTI - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Information_Act
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. The Hindu is at crossroads here, does he want to go back to the slave like existence or does he want to live as a free person, free to practice his religion, free to call his country his own, free to take a walk without the threat of being blown up? This is a question, the answer to which will decide the fate of the Hindu civilisation and of 10000 years of uninterrupted history. Act now or be forever known as the generation that failed the future.
Congress governments in various states such as the ones in Andhra Pradesh and in Assam, have done eveything in their capacity to sideline Hindus and deprive them of their rights. the evangelical Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Samuel Rajasekara Reddy, wanted to build a Church in the same hills as the sacred Venkateshwara Temple of Tirupati. It was after vociferous protests that this was abandoned. However, the TTD board is filled with Christians, so much so that the contract for making the famous Tirupati Prasadam is awarded to a company headed by a Christian. This is inline with the precedence set by Sonia Maino in sidelining Hindus within the Congress. Her closest advisors are Christians such as Margeret Alva, Ambika Soni, AK Antony, Oscar Fernandez, Samuel Reddy. Take the case of Assam where despite intelligence reports of an impending attack, the congress government sat on its rear. In fact when the CM was informed that the blasts had actually occured, he chose to continue with the important task of seeing off Haj pilgrims rather than deal with the attack that eventually killed close to 80 people (per official reports) and wounded close to 400. It is obvious here that Hindu senitivities and lives are of the least concern to the Congress with vote bank politics taking precendence.
In such a senario, what should Hindus do to protect their lives and that of their loved ones, home and property.
1. The Hindu needs to align himself with organisations that have a distinctly Hindu flavor such as the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and so on.
2. Hindus more than anybody else neeed to be aware of the media bias against him an act by writing to editors and authors, when such articles are spotted.
3. The Hindu needs to arm himself by applying for a firearm licence. While this process is long and purposefully stewn with beuracratic mines, one needs to be patient and determined to get some means of self defence. The government is no longer capable of protecting the average Hindu and he is now left to his own means. Please refer to this website for details on how to apply for a licence - http://indiansforguns.com/. Refer to the website of the Indian Ordnance factory for various firearms available - http://ofbindia.gov.in/index.php?wh=Sporting%20Arms&lang=en. Join your local rifle assosciation and practice. Every Hindu sshould be capable of protecting his rights and the constitution. This is the first step. other non-lethal meanss such as pepper sprays are now available in India for personal protection.
4. Education starts from home. Speak with your family member on the dangers of the current divisive politics followed by the current Congress. Teach your kids the glorious history of the country. If we dont use our time in the present to protect their future, we lose our reasons for existence.
5. Interact with your community members and sound them out. Tie up with the local police to ensure emplementation of laws. Form neighbourhood watch commitees to keep an eye on the locality for any undesirables.
6. Use the RTI act. This is the single most important law that citizens to pry open the government cupboard of skeletons. Wikipedia has a good wwriteup on RTI - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Information_Act
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. The Hindu is at crossroads here, does he want to go back to the slave like existence or does he want to live as a free person, free to practice his religion, free to call his country his own, free to take a walk without the threat of being blown up? This is a question, the answer to which will decide the fate of the Hindu civilisation and of 10000 years of uninterrupted history. Act now or be forever known as the generation that failed the future.
SIMI activists found with SAR Geelani CDs: Police
A matter to introspect for all the left leaning liberals supporting SAR Geelani. The supreme court let him go for want ot evidence, does that make him completely innocent? The very same people who swear by the sanctity of courts (read teesta setalvaad et all) and reports of investigative commitees, seem to diss them when it suits them. Examples of such cases are the Bannerjee report and Nanavati commitee report, Ms.Setalvad questioning the integrity of Supreme court when it refused to censure Shri.Modi while praising it for moving cases out of Gujarat. Gows to prove how liberal the self proclaimed liberals actually are.
Also to be noted is the part markeed in red.
Link to the article - http://dailypioneer.com/133104/SIMI-activists-found-with-SAR-Geelani-CDs-Police.html
Excerpts of the article below -
The Kerala Police on Friday submitted in the Kerala High Court that it had recovered DVDs featuring SAR Geelani, one of the accused in the Parliament attack, case from the homes of some of the youth who had participated in the SIMI camp at Panayikkulam near Aluva off Kochi, held on August 15, 2006.The SIMI meet at Panayikkulam was reportedly where the schedule was prepared for the training camp held in the hill resort of Vagamon, Idukki, Kerala, which, according to the Gujarat Police, was organised for the basic preparations for carrying out the bombings in Ahmedabad. The Kerala Police had taken into custody five of the 15 participants in the meeting but released them later after the alleged intervention of highly influential personalities.
Also to be noted is the part markeed in red.
Link to the article - http://dailypioneer.com/133104/SIMI-activists-found-with-SAR-Geelani-CDs-Police.html
Excerpts of the article below -
The Kerala Police on Friday submitted in the Kerala High Court that it had recovered DVDs featuring SAR Geelani, one of the accused in the Parliament attack, case from the homes of some of the youth who had participated in the SIMI camp at Panayikkulam near Aluva off Kochi, held on August 15, 2006.The SIMI meet at Panayikkulam was reportedly where the schedule was prepared for the training camp held in the hill resort of Vagamon, Idukki, Kerala, which, according to the Gujarat Police, was organised for the basic preparations for carrying out the bombings in Ahmedabad. The Kerala Police had taken into custody five of the 15 participants in the meeting but released them later after the alleged intervention of highly influential personalities.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Threat of vigilantism - Swapan Dasgupta
Great Article from Swapan Dasgupta in TOI, read it here http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/S_Dasgupta_Threat_of_vigilantism/articleshow/3663468.cms
Swapan Dasgupta
Threat of vigilantism
2 Nov 2008, 0001 hrs IST, SWAPAN DASGUPTA
In the sixth series of the gripping BBC tele-serial Spooks, the MI5 is confronted by two contrasting adversaries: an Iran hell-bent on becoming a nuclear weapons state; and the covert organisation, Yalta, that seeks to restore global multi-polarity by bringing the US several notches down. Made up of patriotic stalwarts of the British establishment, Yalta runs a parallel intelligence network, strikes deals with the Islamists and undertakes bombings and assassinations. Many MI5 agents are lured by Yalta operatives into joining the secret war because they, too, are disconcerted by Britain's skewed "special relationship" with the US. Although over-dramatised and far removed from the cerebral espionage games of John Le Carre's Cold War thrillers, Spooks addresses a problem confronting the liberal State in an age of crime, sleaze and terrorism: the threat of vigilantism. Modern societies with codified laws and elaborate checks and balances have based themselves on the unstated assumption that the State enjoys a monopoly of violence. Just as there is no legitimacy for insurgents, warlords and terrorists, there is no space for modern day Robin Hoods or, for that matter, Superman. Those like Yalta who take it upon themselves to rectify national problems through unilateral violence are likely to be viewed in the same vein as, say, al-Qaida terrorists as outlaws. The people's adherence to non-violence isn't a Gandhian fad; it is a pillar of statecraft. There is no compelling evidence as yet to determine whether the flamboyant Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and her associates - the alleged practitioners of ‘Hindu terror' - are guilty of vigilantism or are victims of an elaborate frame-up. The signals are confused and conflicting. There are hints that Muslim-dominated Malegaon was bombed on September 29 as an act of retributive violence - to force Muslims to share the pain of terrorism. At the same time, the instant secularist equation of ‘Hindu' terror with jihadi terror has prompted concern of a frame-up by a beleaguered government. Certainly, the suggestions of a conspiracy involving serving and retired army officers seem utterly fanciful and could even provoke a backlash. If, for argument's sake, a Hindu hand in the Malegaon bombings is established, does it imply that terrorism is a problem of competitive extremism? This is precisely what the government would like us to believe - that there is an immoral equivalence between radical saffron outfits and the treacherous SIMI, and that a ban on one should automatically lead to curbs on the other. Apart from driving a wedge between the BJP and its NDA allies just prior to the election, unearthing a Hindu terrorist conspiracy may help the government project an image of even-handedness to those Muslims who feel done in by counter-terrorism. Yet, despite the law treating all terrorists as equal outlaws, there are important differences between jihadi terror and the Sadhvi's alleged criminality. Jihadi terror is directed both at the kafirs and the sovereignty of India. Neither SIMI nor the Indian Mujahideen have faith in the Constitution. They want nizam-e-mustafa (the rule of God) and terrorism is a means to that elusive pipe-dream. Their target is the Indian way of life. The Hindu extremists have a more limited agenda. They want retributive justice against the killers; they feel Hindus are too meek and effete; they want a militarised Hindu society that takes an eye for an eye; and they believe that the alternative to vote-bank politics is to combine the roles of prosecutor, judge and executioner. Jihadi terror is based on warped theology; the extremist Hindu is driven by revenge and frustration. Let's not delude ourselves that the two are fringe phenomena. The Batla House encounter may have triggered Muslim fury but the Sadhvi is fast acquiring cult status among angry Indians seeking quick-fix solutions. Terrorism hasn't won the day but it has disfigured the cosy assumptions on which India operated. The moral authority of the state is in tatters.
Swapan Dasgupta
Threat of vigilantism
2 Nov 2008, 0001 hrs IST, SWAPAN DASGUPTA
In the sixth series of the gripping BBC tele-serial Spooks, the MI5 is confronted by two contrasting adversaries: an Iran hell-bent on becoming a nuclear weapons state; and the covert organisation, Yalta, that seeks to restore global multi-polarity by bringing the US several notches down. Made up of patriotic stalwarts of the British establishment, Yalta runs a parallel intelligence network, strikes deals with the Islamists and undertakes bombings and assassinations. Many MI5 agents are lured by Yalta operatives into joining the secret war because they, too, are disconcerted by Britain's skewed "special relationship" with the US. Although over-dramatised and far removed from the cerebral espionage games of John Le Carre's Cold War thrillers, Spooks addresses a problem confronting the liberal State in an age of crime, sleaze and terrorism: the threat of vigilantism. Modern societies with codified laws and elaborate checks and balances have based themselves on the unstated assumption that the State enjoys a monopoly of violence. Just as there is no legitimacy for insurgents, warlords and terrorists, there is no space for modern day Robin Hoods or, for that matter, Superman. Those like Yalta who take it upon themselves to rectify national problems through unilateral violence are likely to be viewed in the same vein as, say, al-Qaida terrorists as outlaws. The people's adherence to non-violence isn't a Gandhian fad; it is a pillar of statecraft. There is no compelling evidence as yet to determine whether the flamboyant Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and her associates - the alleged practitioners of ‘Hindu terror' - are guilty of vigilantism or are victims of an elaborate frame-up. The signals are confused and conflicting. There are hints that Muslim-dominated Malegaon was bombed on September 29 as an act of retributive violence - to force Muslims to share the pain of terrorism. At the same time, the instant secularist equation of ‘Hindu' terror with jihadi terror has prompted concern of a frame-up by a beleaguered government. Certainly, the suggestions of a conspiracy involving serving and retired army officers seem utterly fanciful and could even provoke a backlash. If, for argument's sake, a Hindu hand in the Malegaon bombings is established, does it imply that terrorism is a problem of competitive extremism? This is precisely what the government would like us to believe - that there is an immoral equivalence between radical saffron outfits and the treacherous SIMI, and that a ban on one should automatically lead to curbs on the other. Apart from driving a wedge between the BJP and its NDA allies just prior to the election, unearthing a Hindu terrorist conspiracy may help the government project an image of even-handedness to those Muslims who feel done in by counter-terrorism. Yet, despite the law treating all terrorists as equal outlaws, there are important differences between jihadi terror and the Sadhvi's alleged criminality. Jihadi terror is directed both at the kafirs and the sovereignty of India. Neither SIMI nor the Indian Mujahideen have faith in the Constitution. They want nizam-e-mustafa (the rule of God) and terrorism is a means to that elusive pipe-dream. Their target is the Indian way of life. The Hindu extremists have a more limited agenda. They want retributive justice against the killers; they feel Hindus are too meek and effete; they want a militarised Hindu society that takes an eye for an eye; and they believe that the alternative to vote-bank politics is to combine the roles of prosecutor, judge and executioner. Jihadi terror is based on warped theology; the extremist Hindu is driven by revenge and frustration. Let's not delude ourselves that the two are fringe phenomena. The Batla House encounter may have triggered Muslim fury but the Sadhvi is fast acquiring cult status among angry Indians seeking quick-fix solutions. Terrorism hasn't won the day but it has disfigured the cosy assumptions on which India operated. The moral authority of the state is in tatters.
Sadhvi not lying says investigating agency
The wheels are now turning, with the ATS now saying that the Sadhvi might not actually be lying when she says that she has nothing to do with the Malegoan blasts. TOI had this to say- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Forensic_tests_on_sadhvi_Pragya_draw_a_blank/articleshow/3666141.cms
With various media houses vying with each other for the secular throne, it will be interesting to see if the truth gets as much coverage as the allegations. Extract of the article below
According to sources, she has not provided any additional information. The tests also indicated that she was not lying. The sadhvi was earlier subjected to brain mapping which also indicated that she was not holding back information
With various media houses vying with each other for the secular throne, it will be interesting to see if the truth gets as much coverage as the allegations. Extract of the article below
According to sources, she has not provided any additional information. The tests also indicated that she was not lying. The sadhvi was earlier subjected to brain mapping which also indicated that she was not holding back information
Saturday, November 1, 2008
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