The Five year term of the UPA Government at the Centre is now coming to a close and shortly general election of Lok Sabha would be held. The only legacy of the UPA Government is that the nation today faces crisis on nearly all the fronts. This is directly attributable to the manner in which the Union Government has handled the affairs of the country. Determined leadership, decisive governance and coherent policy was never demonstrated by Dr. Manmohan Singh Government.
India Becomes a Soft State
Thanks to the soft approach of the UPA Government India today has emerged as a very soft State. It has become vulnerable and a strong epicentre of terror in the last more than four and half years. Terrorist strikes at will and with impunity. They have, amongst others, attacked New Delhi, the political capital of India, Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, Bengaluru, the scientific capital of India, and Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India. Be it North, South, East or, West, no part of the country is secure from the killing spree of the terrorist.
The terrorist attack in Mumbai on 26th November was the worst in the series. It was a well planned attack by terrorist from Pakistan, who were given sophisticated training under guidance of important segment of the Pakistani establishment including the ISI and executed with military precision. It was indeed an attack on India itself and exposed our sheer vulnerability. The terrorist took the sea route from Karachi, landed at Mumbai attacked well-known hotels which are the landmarks of the country including the CST Railway Station killing hundreds of people with impunity and yet the entire intelligence apparatus of the country seemed completely paralysed with no credible information or, preventive action to stop the attack. The country witnessed a virtual civil war and blame game between various intelligence agencies. It is self evident that greater coordination and timely initiative by a decisive political leadership would suddenly have prevented attack and the cruel loss of so many innocent lives.
Ten terrorists from Pakistan demonstrated so shockingly as to how vulnerable and weak India was against a determined group of jihadi terrorist. Pakistan true to its character is in a constant state of denial including even about the Pakistani origin of the terrorists. It is time not only for firm measures but also for a strong action. The BJP would be supportive of the measures, which the Government may be required to take but under no circumstances whatsoever the terrorist, their handlers and their patrons in the Pakistani establishment should be spared at all. The BJP demands that all those responsible for this attack as also those who conspired and abated must be deported to India to face trial and the Government must not spare any strong measure in this regard. If Pakistan is not wiling to respond, then what action needs to be taken is still not clear. Senior Ministers frequently keep on repeating that all options are open and at times contradict themselves. Even, the National Security Advisor contradicts many times the comments of Ministers. Diplomatic efforts have been exhausted with no real advantage. Now, what next? The BJP demands that the Government should seriously consider that all trade, transport, tourism and cultural ties with Pakistan be snapped and our High Commissioner in Islamabad be recalled if Pakistan does not take proper action including handing over all the terrorists involved in Mumbai and other terrorists attack including Dawood Ibrahim.
However, the larger question remains that the policies of the Congress led UPA Government has directly caused the vulnerability of India against repeated terrorist attacks. Repeated signals has been given to the terrorists and their patrons inside the country as also across the border that strong action against them is tradable for vote. The UPA after coming to power allowed a culture to develop wherein every terror threat was sought to be minimised. Their constant refrain was that the NDA magnified terror for partisan agenda. The repeal of POTA, though constitutionally declared valid by the Supreme Court was hailed as a triumph of secularism. Terrorists were described as misguided youth. The security agencies in such atmosphere had no incentive left to continue to fight terror with courage and conviction, lest they be branded as communal. The UPA Government for full four years firmly rejected the need for strong anti-terror law in spite of repeated suggestions form the security agencies. Finally, after Mumbai attack some Amendments were made in The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Though the BJP supported it yet, the hard fact remains that it has still many shortcomings, which shall continue to create problems for the security and investigative agencies in the fight against terror.
The lust for legacy led Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to ignore certain basic and elementary facts in his dealing with Pakistan. Describing Pakistan as a victim of terror and proposing a joint terror mechanism was a case of colossal diplomatic blunder. Pakistan has used terror as a tool as a part of its well-designed policy of causing hundreds cuts to bleed and weaken India. Pakistan hugely benefited from this strategy. If some of it is recoiling on Pakistan today, it cannot be called a victim because the ISI and important segments of the establishment in the Armed Forces; still vigorously pursue this policy. The attack in Mumbai was a part of this conspiracy. Needs of the security of the country has been trivialised under the UPA. The response of the government on serious diplomatic questions concerning the prestige of the country is equally weak. Recently the Foreign Secretary of United Kingdom Mr. David Miliband came to India and aggressively declared that terrorism and resolution of Kashmir issue is interlinked. Inspite of BJP protesting, the government could not even lodge a proper protest with Great Britain.
Vote Bank Politics
It is without doubt that the UPA’s commitment to vote bank politics is seriously coming in the way of fight against terror. The most glaring instance is the encounter in the Batala House at Jamia Milia in New Delhi. While the Government awards Ashok Chakra to the Police officer who was killed there, fighting the terrorist; senior Ministers of the Government keep on demanding probe into the incident with alarming regularity. The Government at the highest level is unwilling to offer a categorical denial. Even the reassuring declaration, by some eminent religious leaders of the minority community that terrorism is inhuman, is not able to dissuade the competitive claim for vote bank politics. From Ram Sethu in the South in the course of which Lord Ram was described as a fictional character; to the withdrawal of land for the pilgrims of Shri Amarnath Yatra in Jammu & Kashmir in the North, describing SIMI as a cultural organisation by senior Ministers; to encouraging religion based reservation which is constitutionally impermissible; we notice the worst interplay of vote bank politics at great cost to national integrity. Naturally, this curse of competitive vote bank politics has only emboldened terrorist and their patrons within the country and outside; to continue to bleed India with contempt. The failure of leadership and the dereliction in duty to act in time has left an unfortunate legacy of unsafe India.
North - East today is in turmoil. Extremism and continued illegal infiltration from Bangladesh has created a very dangerous situation. The UPA has failed miserably to control the influx of Pakistan trained militants into Kashmir, ISI backed HUJI operatives from Bangladesh and Maoist Guerrillas from Nepal. Faced with arc of terrorism that encompasses Islamic Jihadis, secessionists of many hues and ultra left desperadoes, the UPA Government appears to have abandoned the people of India to their fate instead of effectively combating the challenge. Naxalism is indeed a serious threat in many States. Chhattisgarh is one of the worst affected by naxal violence. We salute the people of that State who braved open threats of naxalites for poll boycott in the recent VIdhan Sabha election; voted in large numbers and gave unprecedented and overwhelming success to BJP candidates in nearly all the constituencies afflicted by naxal violence. The State Government has set up Salva-Judum camps to give security to innocent tribals who face death at the hands of naxalites in their villages. A vicious and interested campaign has been undertaken against these camps including by the leaders of the Congress Party in the State. The UPA Government never took a clear stand against this campaign. Those who talk of human rights need to be asked one question – whether the victims of terrorist and naxal violence have any human right or not, or; this is a luxury available only to those who attack and kill with impunity?
The new Home Minister appears now to vaguely recognise the threat of infiltration from Bangladesh. It is now too late. It was his own Government which repeatedly ignored and did every thing to undo the directive of Supreme Court wherein it described large scale illegal migration from Bangladesh in the North-East as amounting to external aggression and internal disturbance and required the Government to take all action as enjoined in the Constitution. No effective action was taken against illegal immigration in spite of repeated information of their involvement in facilitation of terrorist attack; obviously, for vote bank politics. The BJP demands that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants must be identified and deported in a time bound programme. A proper time frame must be fixed for border fencing on the Eastern Sector as has been done in the the Western Sector.
The country today looks up to the BJP to secure it against the repeated and vicious attack from the terrorists, extremist, Islamic Jehadis like SIMI and others, Naxalites and other secessionist elements. The Party under the time tested effective leadership of Shri Lal Krishna Advani is determined to ensure a safe and secure India.
The BJP demands an early resolution of the crisis in Sri Lanka. The government of India must take effective steps on the basis of various bilateral accords to safeguard the security of innocent Tamilians who are suffering in the cross fire. The BJP supports a peaceful and democratic resolution of the crisis.
Incoherent Alliance
India is suffering because it is being ruled by an incoherent alliance where opposition to BJP is the only compulsion, which binds. The Communists left mid-way and the Congress has openly declared that it has no national alliance with any political party. Even otherwise, running a coalition has never been the virtues of the Congress. A coalition of opportunism can never ensure good governance and development. If the leadership is weak then it just gets reduced to clinging to power without good performance. Such a coalition of desperation has got no moral and political right to seek legitimacy because of its track record. Now there is a very fierce competition among leaders of the UPA constituents themselves to become the Prime Minister. The country entitled to know as to who is the future Prime Minister of the UPA. Further, a hostile war is now going on between various constituents and supporters of the UPA themselves. DMK vs PMK, SP vs. Congress, Laloo Prasad vs. Ram Vilas Paswan (RJD vs. LJP) and the increasing ambition of the NCP to expand and overtake Congress; are glaring symptoms of a coalition which is unstable and unworthy.
The Communist Parties are again entertaining an illusion of third front little realising that its time and relevance is over long ago. Now, we hear reports of SP and RJD again making efforts to bring them closer to Congress. The Country is entitled to know what is their status – official opposition or, unofficial supporter of the Congress. The people of the country are disgusted with these kinds of manipulations and political opportunism.
Decline of Institutions
Institutional credibility has suffered serious erosion by the UPA because of repeated abuse. The cash for vote during the test of majority of the Manmohan Singh Government on the floor of the Lok Sabha represents a new low of political corruption in the democratic history of the country. Every attempt was made to save the main players who sponsored and organised this shocking decline of Parliamentary procedure and institutional integrity. Even the reputation of Parliamentary Panel constituted to investigate this scandal came under cloud. Now, those who exposed this as whistle blower are being prosecuted. C.B.I. has been subjected to the worst abuse by the Government. The C.B.I. vigorously prosecutes the case against a political leader who is opposed to the UPA Government and in the event he becomes supportive of the Government then the C.B.I. takes a complete about turn. This is evident in the twist and turn before the Court in the proceedings relating to the disproportionate assets of Ms. Mayawati and Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav. The C.B.I. was the main prosecutor in the infamous fodder scam in which Railway Minister Shri Laloo Prasad is an accused. When he was acquitted in a questionable judgement relating to his disproportionate assets prosecution, the C.B.I. instead of challenging it, sought to oppose the very filing of the appeal against the said judgement. There are numerous such instances of patent abuse. The response of the Government in the recent issue relating to the biased conduct of an Election Commissioner further reinforces the lack of concern for institutional integrity even in case of as high body as Election Commission so vital for our democracy. All standards of political propriety has been crossed by many Governors under pressure from the UPA government. The rank abuse in Goa & Jharkhand is evident. The State of Jharkhand must have fresh elections as no government presently is possible. The UPA government openly discriminates against BJP and NDA ruled State Governments in violation of federal principles.
Development almost derailed
When the UPA years in power are coming to a close, increasing evidence is emerging that the pace of development has been nearly derailed. The common man (Aam Adami) has been the worst victim whose interest, the UPA falsely claimed to champion. The Government did not demonstrate any vision or, long term planning to contain prices, which rose to an all time high in the last nearly two years. Now, even when the rate of inflation has declined as claimed, still it is not being reflected on the actual price of commodities on the ground. The very survival of a common man is becoming increasingly difficult. The global recession is now going to hit India very hard. The spectre of massive unemployment is looming large. An indecisive UPA Government, which refused initially to even recognise the existence of the problem, has only worsened the situation. The Indian Industry has recorded a negative growth of 0.4% in October last year due to Indian exports coming down by almost 12%. The manufacturing sector too recorded a negative 1.2% growth in October last year from 13% an year before. The agriculture sector too is not in a happy state. The suicide of farmers continues unabated. As we are assembled in Nagpur, the Vidarbha area continues to register the highest number of farmers’ suicide in spite of the package announced by the Prime Minister.
The biggest area of negative growth is the derailment of the crucial infrastructure sector. The National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) today suffers from chronic delays, ad-hocism, lack of monitoring and also play of extraneous forces in decision making. The ambitious NHDP has failed miserably on all counts presenting a copy book case of non-performance by the UPA in stark contrast to the exceedingly good work done by the earlier NDA Government headed by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee wherein growth in NHDP phase-I was 81%. Now, rank non-performance stares in all the phases. Other sectors of infrastructure also present a very sorry spectacle. The spectrum Scam haunts the communication department while scandalous trade of land in the name of SEZ has become the order of the day in the Ministry of Commerce.
The Country Looks Towards The BJP
A suffering and insecure India is the legacy being left by the Congress led UPA Government. Naturally, the country looks towards the BJP and nostalgically recall the good government of the BJP led NDA, which brought cheers and smile to Indians. The BJP appeals to all Indians to free the country from the misrule of the UPA Government and ensure the return of the BJP led NDA Government under the leadership of Shri Lal Krishna Advani for the security, development and prosperity of India.
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