India Must Fight Terror in All Forms, Including the Ruthless LTTE

by Philip Fernando in Los Angeles for Lanka Guardian

(December 14, Los Angeles, Sri Lanka Guardian) The subterranean realities of India’s apparent disgust with terrorism are not difficult to see. Dr. Manmohan Singh lamented before Lok Sabha that there are no good and bad terrorists. They must all be brought to book. But the misguided notion that promoting the likes of Prabhakaran and the LTTE on one hand while condemning the attacks on Mumbai is only an exterior manifestation that things have come home to roost. The cabal of Chennai based chauvinists exercising diabolical influence over India’s policy on terrorism must end. Karunanidhi on your lap as a warm-up to an electoral deal betrays the true nature of India’s dilemma. Teror must be fought. No room to kiss and tell.

Dr. Manmohan Singh’s inability to pursue an effective policy on terrorism now haunts every one there. Implicit in all the seemingly flawed terror strategy is the assumption that certain types of terrorism could be tolerated. Dr. Singh must decide the truth and pursue a movement to fight against the mortal enemy whether they are in Pakistan or in Northern Sri Lanka.

Suddenly Dr. Singh is preaching like George W. Bush who once vowed that USA has to pursue interests larger than it at the behest of higher authority to invigorate the nation's "great liberating tradition" to lit a fire as well — a fire in the minds of men. Dr. Singh now talks of taking the battle to terrorists in whatever hue and color.

But then that cabal of jackals in Chennai comes screaming after you calling for leniency towards the world’s most ruthless terrorists-the LTTE. Then Dr. Singh vacillates while combining in his person a rare mix of hubris and recklessness fueled by expediency. India has to reckon with the fact that the ruthless LTTE got a handle on those Chennai politicos. It may even be more than that as stated by Sri Lankan Army Commander. They are beholden to Prabhakaran for their success at politics. India must acknowledge that their actions in trying to pacify the Chennai jokers served to make things worse. India must define national security as a deliberate stand against terrorism.

To state the matter directly: observers preoccupied with delineating the difficulties faced by India trying to be cozy with the Chennai jokers, uncovered any number of small truths while missing the big one, facing terrorism straight. India cannot afford to play that game any more, not after the Mumbai massacres.

India and Prime Minister Singh have the capacity to break decisively with the past mistakes and thus setting the country on a revolutionary new course. To do that they must openly articulate the ideology that defies any leniency with the LTTE terror. That must happen with such fervor and clarity as to unmask as never before its defects and utter perversity which has caused India so much pain. Its recklessness’ caused Rajiv Gandhi’s life.

We commend Dr. Singh in citing the need to fight for freedom. Everyone knows that history's abiding theme is freedom, to which all humanity aspires. Reduced to its essentials, history is an epic struggle, binary in nature, between "oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right". There can be no pact with a group like the LTTE bent on destroying life and very purpose of freedom. Only cynics or those disposed toward evil could possibly dissent from this self-evident truth.

At a time when most policy makers routinely liken the threat of Islamic radicalism to the threat posed by the totalitarianisms of the last century, it is worth recalling that Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi fought for the right to liberty with the greatest degree of fervor. India must simplify, clarify, and remove ambiguity in their policy towards terror. There can be no tolerance of any form of terror.

Dr. Singh announced steps to gear up the country's security system to meet the unprecedented threat. A National Investigation Agency is planned and more commando units are to be recruited and coastal security is being strengthened making the Coast Guard the sole force responsible for it and step up air surveillance. These are to be commended. Promising to have a comprehensive review of the security machinery of the country, Singh asserted that terrorism will be fought with determination to ensure that the scourge is destroyed from its roots.

India cannot be complacent about LTTE activities which would ultimate be a threat to Indian security. India cannot countenance a situation where safety and security are violated with impunity by terrorists and other militant forces, no matter where they come from.- Sri Lanka Guardian