The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Soft state

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Thursday, May 15, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Soft state

After a brief lull, terrorists have struck with a vengeance. The synchronised serial blasts in Jaipur leading to the loss of 63 lives and injuring hundreds have once again exposed India’s vulnerability to terror attacks. They point to the entrenchment of forces of terror and their resolve to strike at will, instilling fear in the minds of the people. The targets of the attack, including temples and mosques, bear ample testimony to their sinister designs.

B. Suresh Kumar,

Coimbatore

From the frequency with which bomb blasts take place in India, it is obvious that it is a soft state and vulnerable. The terrorists take advantage and strike with impunity obviously because of the complacency of politicians and the slipshod manner in which governments seek to contain the scourge.

The Jaipur blast is another addition to the catalogue of terror attacks followed by spot visits of netas and stereotype statements.

H.P. Murali,

Bangalore

There is a growing impression that the Congress-led government at the Centre is soft both on Islamist and Maoist terrorism, thanks to its vote bank considerations. It is time security became the paramount concern of the government, political parties and the people of India. We should not make cross-border travel easy. Anyone connected with terrorism should face effective punishment. Terrorists should pay with their lives and their supporters should be imprisoned for life. Our soft approach is interpreted as weakness by terrorists.

Vipul Thakore,

London

The terrorists have proved yet again that they can strike at will anywhere in the country. Certainly, this is not a compliment to a government that is concerned about the safety of its citizens. The UPA government has failed time and again to learn from the terror attacks of the past. Under such circumstances, it is meaningless to introduce trains to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

J.N. Mahanty,

Puri

Murder and mayhem have become so common that those in power have become insensitive to terrorist attacks. Even the customary breast beating by politicians is missing this time. Sounding a nationwide alert and rushing a posse of national security guards to ground zero after the blasts show that for the UPA government, national security is the last priority.

Venkatram Venkat,

Mumbai

As usual, a foreign-based terrorist organisation has been blamed for the blasts and the Prime Minister has deplored the attacks. The media will now praise the resilience of Rajasthanis, just as they praised the resilience of Mumbaikars, Delhiites, the people of Varanasi, etc. This will go on till the next blast. What is the use of blaming HuJI or LeT when innocent people continue to die in terrorist attacks? Our top leaders enjoy high-level security and the bomb blasts do not affect them. What about the common man?

N. Mohan,

Chennai

The practice of adopting a hard approach for a week or two after such incidents and reverting to a soft approach should be done away with. The need of the hour is pro-active action such as timely collection and dissemination of information and busting of sleeper cells.

J. Meghanath Reddy,

Proddatur

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