09-22-2008, 09:31 PM
22 Sept 2008, Pioneer
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Reporter's notebook: Sidharth Mishra
Delhi Police officials who are busy collecting accolades for the successful encounter in the Batla House area of Jamia Nagar in south Delhi also must express their gratitude to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. <b>I have my sincere doubts if the Ministry of Home Affairs would have ever ordered operations in the minority community dominated area had it no been for Modi addressing a rally against terrorism in Afzal Khan Park of Karol Bagh the same evening.</b>
The terror attack in the Karol Bagh and Connaught Place area areas of the Capital on September 13 last had left the Delhi Congress leadership rattled with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit going over-board in demanding a tough anti-terror law to deal with such mayhem. Knowing full well the impact soft-peddling of terror issues by the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre would have on the upcoming polls of Delhi Assembly, a sharp politician that Dikshit is, she raised the ante for fight against terror.
Her concerns found an echo in the sentiments expressed by former president APJ Abdul Kalam but unfortunately for her there were not many takers for her line within her own party. Her party colleague and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil too came in under fire for laxity on the terror front.
But why blame Patil, he was toeing the line drawn by the leadership. If somebody needed an evidence it was there to see at the Cabinet meeting which followed the attack, where it was decided to not bring any tougher act against terrorist activities. Pandering to the minority votes of his Chandni Chowk constituency, Union Minister Kapil Sibal went to the extent to claim that tougher laws did not help the matter. He would have done well to check the statistics before going public with such a baseless statement.
If the Congress decided for its political compulsions not to initiate for a tougher act against terrorism, the BJP rightly decided to take advantage of this lack of resolve ahead of the Assembly polls. The Congress spokespersons went to town alleging the BJP of playing politics over the tragedy but then politics is about advocating policies which would find approval with people. The BJP today certainly has a mascot in Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for its campaign against the terror activities.
<b>But to have Modi as mascot for the Delhi Assembly poll campaign could very well be counter-productive for the BJP. With the Central leadership of the party dilly-dallying on declaring the Chief Ministerial candidate, whispers are already making rounds about the infighting in the ranks and the party lacking a State leader of stature. The people of Delhi are still to forget the squabbling Madanlal Khurana and Sahib Singh, when the BJP ruled the Capital between 1993-98.</b>
<b>The odds-may be in the favour of the saffron outfit but they certainly need a spearhead to take on incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Despite the heavy odds that the Congress is facing, in absence of a leader the BJP has the potential to mess-up its chances.</b>
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