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Politics over terror attacks

	July 17, 2006

Cong. toughens stand



While the people of Mumbai are trying hard to bring their life back on track, politics has started over who is responsible for allowing the attacks to take place in the first place and what should be the Government’s approach now. There was a race among leaders to visit Mumbai to see the situation at first hand. Among the first to visit Mumbai was the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. BJP’s senior leader L.K. Advani also rushed to Mumbai on hearing the news of the serial blasts.



The Congress has toughened its stand over cross-border terror inflow, and just stopped short of urging the Manmohan Singh government to put on hold the peace talks and confidence-building measures with Pakistan in what it called, “the prevailing ambience of terror mayhem and destruction.”



Referring to the devastating terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Srinagar, AICC media department vice-chairman Abhishek Singhvi noted that “cross-border terrorism has neither diminished nor changed its form, colour or content or character”, making it clear that “no peace-loving or civilised nation can allow such inhuman acts to continue side by side with attempts to normalise relations with neighbouring countries”.



Tempering the rhetoric with a cautious line, the Congress said it did not believe in “suspension of talks or elimination of CBMs”, but asserted that “it cannot be a one-way street”.



Barely two days ago, following the terror strikes in Mumbai and Srinagar, the Congress had officially favoured the continuation of the peace dialogue with Pakistan.





BJP double talk



The BJP appeared to be speaking in two voices on the latest terror attacks. While L.K. Advani said that it was not the time for criticising the Government for the Mumbai blasts, senior party leaders including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee decided to take on the government over the blasts. At a meeting attended by party president Rajnath Singh and former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, the BJP adopted a resolution asking the United Progressive Alliance to either govern or get out. The resolution said, “The UPA has created an environment where the infrastructure of terrorism can breed, promote itself and subsequently create havoc in the country.” The BJP demanded that the UPA Government choose between Vote and India. “It must either govern or get out.” The BJP resolution charged the UPA Government with sending what it called consistent signals that the initiative against terrorism can be traded for votes.



The BJP has decided to hold demonstrations in the state capitals to protest against the terrorist attacks.



BJP president Rajnath Singh in a statement issued in New Delhi said, “ the serial blasts in Mumbai and Srinagar have underlined yet again the total failure of the UPA Government to gain an upper hand on terrorism. This government has created an environment in which jehadi terrorists can act with impunity.”



The BJP on Friday, July 14, demanded that Cabinet Ministers Arjun Singh and A.R. Antulay be sacked for what it called “totally irresponsible statements”, reportedly made in a cabinet meeting that there were cases of Hindu groups faking terrorist attacks and then routinely blaming Muslims afterwards.





Centre asks states to act against SIMI



With intelligence reports confirming that SIMI cadres were involved in the Mumbai bomb blasts, the Centre has asked all state Governments to launch a crack down on SIMI members and their sympathizers. The Intelligence Bureau is reported to be in possession of evidence linking SIMI with Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba. LeT has been taking the help of SIMI in carrying out terror activities. Intelligence sources say that the coordinated blasts in local trains would not have been possible without the active involvement of SIMI.



SIMI was first banned in September 2001 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967. Though the Centre has banned the outfit, it continues its activities in states like Uttar Pradesh, where the Samajwadi Party-led government has said, “ SIMI is not a terrorist organisation.” The statement was made by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s border and virtual No. 2 in the state Government, PWD Minister Shiv Pal Singh. However, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav who had earlier given a clean chit to SIMI, has now denied that he had made any remarks giving a clean chit to SIMI. In a statement on Friday, July 14, he said, “the statement appearing in a section of the media is mischievous. I have not made any such statement.”



A day earlier, he had said on Thursday, July 13, that SIMI was not a terrorist organization although some of its members were involved in terrorist activities and action should be taken against them.







SIMI support-base thriving despite ban



Observers say that the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) may be a banned outfit, but its support-base is thriving despite efforts by the Centre and several state governments to rein in this Islamic fundamentalist organisation in the country.



A former top leader from Mumbai, who broke away from the organisation much before the ban came into effect, revealed that SIMI continues to flourish in Mumbai under various names such as Tehrik-e-Ahiya-Ummad, Nehjatul Ulma and the Dawa Cell - to name a few. The same is true for the rest of Maharashtra and the country at large.



The activist said the Gujarat riots only helped in reorganizing the fractured outfit and gave it a direction - revenge.



Months after the Gujarat riots, Mumbai was rocked by a series of blasts, beginning with Ghatkopar BEST explosion on December 2, 2002. That was followed by a spate of blasts in suburban trains and the twin blasts of August 25, 2003 at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazar respectively.



Even in the recent arms haul at Malegaon and Aurangabad, the anti-terrorist squad has established a link - all the accused are former members of SIMI. Part of the consignment they had smuggled in might have been used in the 7/11 Mumbai blasts.