The Color Of Terror Is Red…

Hunger, anger, angst and insecurity and many other feelings may cause people to resort to violence and terrorist acts. There is disinheritance, depravity, loss of land and life and limb, and the list goes on. However, the color of terror is red, as also of all these feelings. Red also indicates danger: Giving it the color of saffron is nothing short of fool-hardiness, which is exactly what the Union Home Minister Mr P Chidambaram has done. In spite of opposition from his own party, he stood by his guns and said that he was trying to get across a point and that he effectively did that. What was the point he was trying to get across?

That terrorists who happen to be Hindus by birth can be called saffron terrorists but terrorists of other persuasions cannot be identified with their religion. That we have to soft-pedal that kind of terrorism with names like ‘jihadi’ (which is a very fine word indeed – meaning ‘dharam yudh’) or cross-border terrorism? Jihad means fight against evil: in the context of India, it is directed against the sovereign state of India, which presumably is the evil. Our neighbor is sponsoring them. No matter the people of that country are not up in arms against India: but we cannot strike out peace with candle-lit dinners, while the powers that be in that country are sending terrorists by the hundreds across the border. And these jihadis are ably abetted by people of a particular group – whether you like it or not. The conspiracy of silence involved in stating that support for what it is – is overlooked by the Indian Outlook. On the other hand, you have the Vinod Mehtas of the world who have candle-vigils for the unholy neighbors. We are at war with Pakistan civilian peace-keepers can’t alleviate the situation. On the other hand, these secularists are driving moderates into the militant Hindu fold.

What is cross border about the D Company operatives: they are well within the borders, alive and kicking. The fact that Dawood Ibrahim himself lives in style in Karachi or Dubai doesn’t make the terror acts he promotes cross-border terrorism. Calling the terrorist acts of people from a particular community ‘jihadi’ terror is actually giving it a legitimacy it does not deserve. It is not my case that these terrorists belong to any religion; their religion doesn’t sanction violence against innocents. So, in giving a particular brand of terrorism ‘saffron’, Mr P Chidambaram is in fact pointing at other acts of terror and is leaving people to think of what color that is! Is that the point he was trying to get across?

What did this government do to have Dawood extradited? What did the NDA regime (led by the Bharatiya Janata Party) do to get him extradited? Precious little. Out of the government the BPP cries hoarse about minority appeasement, about Warren Anderson’s escape; when it was in government – it did nothing about it. And who is watching the fun from the side wings when the saffron brigade and the cross border armies are sledging it out in the middle? That’s white mischief for you.

The way to economic development…

the noble economix doctor bhagwati,
and swami and friends tell us

that the 20 points are old, all dotty
the trick is to model ourself more on U.S.

Let us teach them (over time)
Let us reach them (by road)

What if some fall by the way side, waiting
That means fewer masses to uplift

Let us teach them to fish, by hook or crook or baiting
Let everyone of us get rich – some first, get rich quick

But all in good time.