Posted on 12/16/2008 9:48:19 PM PST by Brian_Baldwin
Sena, BJP want 'fitting reply' to Pakistan
Meena Menon
NAGPUR: The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Opposition in Maharashtra on Tuesday said the covert war by Pakistan must be given a fitting reply. While Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Ramdas Kadam called for war, BJP’s Gopinath Munde demanded bombing of the terrorist training camps in Pakistan. The Opposition took on the ruling coalition for its lapses in dealing with the terror strike of November 26 and demanded an immediate change in the top police personnel who head the State and the city of Mumbai.
Describing the terror attacks as a virtual war, it also revived the demand for stringent anti-terror laws and a compete revamp of security and intelligence. Ramdas Kadam, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, which has convened for its winter session in Nagpur, moved an adjournment motion seeking suspension of question hour and a discussion on the terror strikes.
After the house accepted this, Mr. Kadam launched into a minute-by-minute description of the terror attacks and what he saw. He was clear that public opinion was in favour of a war against Pakistan.
Mr. Munde said the new Chief Minister must send a strong message to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to attack the terrorist training camps in Pakistan. On a more local note, Mr. Kadam, said he was out all night visiting various places under attack and he was trying to find out where the commissioner of police Hasan Gafoor was the next morning (November 27). “I was told he was sleeping in a vehicle near the Oberoi hotel and at around 11.30 a.m. I found his car and knocked on the window. The commissioner rolled down the window and he did not know what was happening,” Mr. Kadam said.
The Opposition has been gunning for Mr. Gafoor and Maharashtra Director General of police A.N. Roy since the attacks. On Tuesday, the demand was embellished with unsavoury examples of their inefficiency.
Mr. Kadam and Mr. Munde also demanded to know the whereabouts of Ms. Chitkala Zutshi, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and wanted a reply from the new Home Minister on her movements that night.
Ms. Zutshi was reportedly rescued from the Taj Mahal Hotel. Mr. Kadam pointed out that since eight years, the State spent Rs.940 crore for modernisation of the police apart from the Rs.135 crore from the Centre. He wondered where this money had gone. He accused the government of corruption in purchase of bullet-proof vests and weapons.
Mr. Munde on a more constructive note, proposed several security measures like coastal policing, better road links and a more accountable police. The police commissioner did not visit the spot till after 12.30 a.m. that night, Mr. Munde said while Mr. Roy was in the control room till 1.30 a.m. He said apart from politicians, the bureaucracy also had a responsibility and they should accept the blame.
The police were vertically split and was riddled with corruption, factionalism and politics. He said the police force was weakened by this factional fighting and even the ATS and the Crime Branch were at loggerheads. The terror probe should have been conducted by the ATS but the government had handed it over to the Crime Branch for some reason. He said to fight terror the country needs a solid political will and it was time to demand the custody of absconding accused from Pakistan like Dawood Ibrahim, who is wanted in both the 1993 and 2003 serial blasts.
The first Congress MLA to speak was Narayan Rane who has been suspended. Mr. Rane wanted to know the exact number of terrorists who had entered the city and said even now no one knows their exact number. The Cabinet never discussed the security issue while he was there and he failed to understand why our police did not have modern weapons.
He said India had lowered its image in the world by the way in which it dealt with the terror strikes. It is not enough for people to resign, hold condolence meetings or construct memorials. He asked what assurance was the new government going to give the people of Maharashtra? The discussion is expected to end late on Tuesday night and Home Minister Jayant Patil will reply on Wednesday morning.
Things may get more tense. Pakistan may have pushed a bit too far.
This is the National Anthem of India, translation 1, which refers to some famous states and regions of India, the mountains, and some famous rivers. It seems to speak to a deity or God whose “name” is “everywhere” but no specific name is given. There is extreme danger at this time potentially for the world, but you may hear this song and perhaps the idea is that India is not just people but the land, rivers and sea. Perhaps it will be a song, an anthem, you may hear in the news very soon. It is not an old song. Composed by a Bengali of India, Rabindranath Tagore, it was first sung in 1911, December 27th, at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. Watch for that date coming, Dec 27th in India, which is Dec 26th in America the day after Christmas. It will be sung on that day.
“You are the Sovereign in the minds of all people,
the dispenser of India’s destiny.
The name which rouses the hearts of the Punjab and the Sind,
of Gujarat and Maratha,
and of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal.
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas.
It lives in the music of the Yamuna and Ganga rivers,
and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for your blessing and sing your praise.
Now the salvation of all people is in your hand.
You who are the dispenser of India ‘s destiny.
Victory. Victory. Victory can become true.
Victory will come.”
ping
I saw these elsewhere - I don’t have time to post these articles tonight, might have tomorrow. Interesting.
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=62542
Pak-China sign defence cooperation agreement
Haven’t seen the above article on FR, not sure about this one:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Jaipur/Increased_Pak_army_movement_across_border_/articleshow/3848132.cms
Increased Pak army movement across border
India seems to be taking it’s sweet time. It’s not like Pakistan is going to become more friendly if they wait. They are either going to hurt Pakistan, bad, or get hurt, bad. Much worse than Mumbai.
India must strike back. The U.S. must support India in its right of self-defense. If the U.S. supports India, China will stand down.
Ping.
Can you blame them for taking a bit of time for deliberation? Pakistan does have nukes.
There is a grander plan than simply going across the border and bombing empty terrorist camps. The returns on such a wasted exercise is so dismal, it takes away the effect. I am glad that the government isn’t trying to do something to Pakistan just to look good in front of the electorate. On the other hand, they could also be waiting for the elections to be closer to strike at Pakistan because then it will be fresher in the memory of the voters.
What I don’t like however is idiots like John Kerry coming over and telling us “why” there is a crisis between the two countries and “what we ought to do”. These f*cks live in their mansions in the US and know very little about the dynamics in the region. They don’t need to tell us anything in my regards. Its a bit duplicitous to take any other stand other than what the US did to Taliban. Anyway...time will tell how this will pan out. What I am sure is if Pakistan doesn’t handover the people in the list that India has given it and the Indian government still doesn’t attack, it will lose the next election so badly that there will be massive defection of politicians even before the elections begin.
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