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| Shinde's foot in mouth remarks cause for worry | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 22: Is it the case of putting his foot in his mouth when one talks about the most controversial statement the union Home Minister, S.K. Shinde, made during the Congress conclave in Jaipur the other day? Can Shinde's statement on saffron terror be treated as a major "political howler" of the year? Whatever Shinde has said has simply given a weapon to terrorists, especially those heading the Lashkar-e-Toiba, in Pakistan to strike a heavy blow on the four-year long campaign India had launched against Lashkar chief for having engineered the deadly terrorist strike in Mumbai in 2008 in which over 166 people were killed.
During all these years New Delhi had been mounting pressure on Islamabad for initiating tough action against the Lashkar chief, Hafiz Saeed for having masterminded the Mumbai mayhem. Infact during the last three years the issue of action against Saeed has been the main bone of contention between New Delhi and Islamabad with the latter reluctant on punishing Saeed for want of evidence. Islamabad continued to procrastinate on the issue despite New Delhi having furnished various documents and voice samples in support of its contention that Saeed had engineered the Mumbai carnage. Despite Islamabad's patronage to Saeed the Lashkar chief had preferred to lie low but he was heard roaring with delight when he was told about Shinde's statement on the threat posed to India by the saffron terror groups.
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed latched on to India's Home Minister Shinde's comments on "saffron terrorism" being fomented by BJP and RSS training camps to claim charges leveled against LeT with regard to 26/11 were false. The controversy over Shinde's remarks at the Jaipur Congress meeting refused to die down as the Lashkar boss - accused by India of masterminding the terror attacks on Mumbai - said "Indian propaganda" against Pakistani organization stood exposed. Saeed said "India tried to involve us in the Mumbai attacks but after a passage of five years, nothing has been established against us."
He further demanded Pakistan take steps to declare India a "terrorist state".This very statement has damaged whatever evidence New Delhi had furnished to Islamabad against Saeed's involvement in the Mumbai mayhem. Not only this, the demand of Saeed for declaring India as a terrorist state may come handy for Pakistan army and other agencies for providing added moral and material support to terrorists, planning to cross into Jammu and Kashmir and to those already operating in the State.
Now onwards India may not have the same face while accusing Pakistan trained terrorists of derailing peace in Jammu and Kashmir and in other areas of India because remarks on saffron terrorism had been made by a dignitary who is the Union Home Minister and not from a person whose views on such sensitive matters could not be given any importance.
And if the angry BJP leaders have started demanding Shinde's resignation they are not to be blamed because what the Home Minister said was no less than a blasphemy having the potential of encouraging India's main enemy, Pakistan, to exploit Shinde's comments. Despite the fact that the enraged BJP leaders have called Shinde's remarks as highly irresponsible and notwithstanding the fact that terroists in Pakistan have started taking advantage of the faux pas Shinde has stood by his sermon on the saffron brigade and the Congress announcing its support to the Union Home Minister without realising that his remarks had caused immense damage to India. If Shinde wanted to buy peace with terrorists, both in India and across the LOC, he can be forgiven. If he wanted to help him and the Congress in mustering support of muslim voters he may be mistaken because in India communities are not treated terrorists but individuals belonging to any community can be terrorists.
And if anybody has any doubt about the adverse impact of Shinde's statement one should refer to the latest statement from Lashkar chief who has congratulated Shinde's remarks. Let the Congress re-examine the entire issue in the context of jubilations in the Lashkar camp in Pakistan. |
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