FRONT PAGE | Thursday, July 23, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Govt has betrayed mandate: Sushma
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
After attacking the Government on End-User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) with the US a day before, the Opposition on Wednesday targeted it for de-linking terror from the composite dialogue with Pakistan. BJP’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who initiated the debate on the demand for grants to the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the Government had betrayed the “mandate of the people” it got in the election. On the back foot, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Government would remain alert against terrorism. “Let there be no illusion. The terror threat to the country has not diminished,’’ he noted.
Sushma said, “Not even a year has elapsed since the Mumbai incident, but the Prime Minister has shown in Egypt that he was ready to sell tea, potatoes and onions to Pakistan.” She also soughttangibly happened for a change of stance concerning Pakistan. After all, she said, the Prime Minister accused the terror modules “instigated, inspired and supported” from elements across the border of being responsible for the Mumbai incident.
The BJP leader created enough unease in the Treasury benches by dishing out figure after figure from Government records to demonstrate that the Centre’s pronouncements on national security did not reflect in its budgetary provisions.
“We were very happy when the presidential speech listed national security as the first priority of the Government and talked about 10 measures this Government would take to improve security situation. We were left disappointed when seven out of these 10 measures did not find an entry in the Budget,” Swaraj said.
She brought it to Chidambaram’s notice that there was no increase in funds for raising critical infrastructure in extremist-affected areas, a decline in allocation for anti-terror schools and just Rs 15 crore allotted for the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Swaraj said the UPA Government had launched a Unique Identity Card scheme and sought clarification from the Government whether the Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) scheme launched by the NDA Government had been done away with.
On Jammu and Kashmir, she wondered if there had been such improvement in the situation that the Government had decided to withdraw Army from the Valley. Swaraj said Naxalism had increased during the UPA regime as the earlier Government had been at the mercy of the Left parties.
“Because of their relationship with the Left parties, the previous UPA Government stopped use of the word Left-wing extremism. Now when they do not need their support, they have started using the word. And in the process, the Home Minister has accepted that his Government erred in gauging the seriousness of the threat,” Swaraj said.
Raising the issue of disturbances in various States, she said the Government should take adequate measures. In Assam, the locals were suffering due to violence perpetrated by people engaged in religious conversions. There was also an international conspiracy to create disturbance in the area to prevent mining of uranium. Supporting the demand for Gorkhaland, she said it was not a separatist movement. She reiterated the BJP’s stand of favouring smaller States.
On the back foot, Chidambaram attempted to put up a brave face in saying that the Government would remain alert against the menace with the epicentre of terrorism lying on India’s border. “Let there be no illusion. The terror threat to the country has not diminished. During the last six months, a significant number of potential terrorists, including Madani, have been arrested. Our objectives are three-fold: Raise the level of preparedness to meet any terror threat directed against India; respond swiftly and decisively to any terror threat or any terror attack; and remain on guard against terror and not lower our guard,” he replied to the discussion in the Lok Sabha on demands for grants to his Ministry for 2009-10.
He said terror was a global phenomenon but that did not give any solace to India because “one of the epicentres of terror is the country on our border”.
He rejected a member’s contention that people of the country were living under fear, saying he had great confidence in Indian people who had shown tremendous resilience and faced challenges in history.
Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav alleged that the Maoists were running a parallel government in some States and even recruiting people and paying them salaries. Yadav said creation of smaller States had worsened the Naxal problem. He demanded a two-day discussion on India signing the India-Pakistan joint statement that mentioned Balochistan. Yadav also sought the creation of a single currency for Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other immediate neighbours on the lines of the European Union.
RJD leader Lalu Prasad suggested that India should play a major role in the Non-Aligned Movement. “If we do not speak for smaller countries, who will stand for India in the international for a?” he asked. Prasad demanded that the report of the Liberhan Commission be tabled in Parliament at the earliest “so that those guilty of demolishing Babri Mosque are punished”.
Ram Chandra Dome (CPI-M) said the Mumbai terror attacks were an eye-opener to the chinks in the internal security apparatus. He claimed that the Left parties never supported Left-wing extremism and that the CPI-M cadre were the biggest victims of its violence.
Sanjay Nirupam (Congress) said Naxal activity was increasing in the BJP-ruled States. He said the party had failed to keep its promise of bringing back mafia don Dawood Ibrahim. Nirupam accused the BJP of raking up the case of Afzal Guru, the Parliament attack accused whose death sentence is pending, as he belonged to a particular community. “He should be hanged and he will be hanged. Nobody can stop this,” he said.
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