Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Monday that threats to internal security would recede to a very large extent if the State is able to ensure food, employment, education and good health to all. No one should feel being treated as a second class citizen.
The Chief Minister was addressing the conference of Chief Ministers and Home Ministers of States on internal security chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi.
Mr. Chandy said that the feeling of alienation was one of the major reasons that gave rise to internal security problems.
“If a large number of citizens feel alienated, they are likely to create danger for the rest of the society. The alienation may come from being socially or economically backward. It may also stem from a feeling that they are not getting sufficient role in the democratic process of governing this country. No amount of policing can succeed, if some people genuinely believe that they do not have a stake in keeping the country safe and secure,” he said.
“Extremism grows rapidly, whether driven by communal forces or by left wing ideology, when a large number of persons start believing they cannot get what they want without resorting to violence. We have to ensure that no one is made to feel that way. The economic growth will have no meaning if it leaves a significant part of citizenry out of it. For this, we have to make sure that all people enjoy a reasonable quality of life. All should have access to food, education, and healthcare within their means.”
The Chief Minister urged the Centre to adopt a humanitarian approach to get the release of Indians in the custody of Somalian pirates. Several Indians including Keralites were kidnapped and kept by Somalian pirates who demanded the release some Somalians detained by India. “A humanitarian view may be taken to get the innocent Indians back particularly since we have even released Maoists in Odhisa to get back kidnapped persons.”
He also called for enhanced vigil on coastal borders and protection to fishermen in the light of the recent attacks on fishermen along the coast. “The coastguard and navy must be sensitized to take upon the role of protecting our fishing communities both within and outside our territorial waters or Exclusive Economic Zone. Communication gadgets must be provided to fishermen so that fishing can be a secure economic activity.”
He urged that the Centre should consider extension of the territorial limit of licenses to telecom operators so that mobile connectivity could be provided across the seas at least up to 30 km. “Efforts have also to be taken to get the international Maritime Community to declare that the Ocean along the coast line of India is free from piracy. This would prevent unfortunate incidents like the ones that happened recently.”
The Chief Minister claimed that Kerala took crimes against the weaker sections, especially women and children, extremely seriously. “We have started a strong drive against human trafficking. We have a two-pronged strategy to deal with these - stringent legal action supplemented by sufficient compensation to the victims to ensure livelihood. Anti-Human Trafficking units have been formed in cities and towns. Implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act has been strengthened. All these efforts have brought significant results.”
He said that the State considered crime prevention to be equally or more important than crime control. “To prevent the children from being misguided and to create in them a feeling of responsibility, we have started the Student Police Cadet scheme. The scheme integrates the discipline aspects of the National Cadet Corps and the service components of the National Service Scheme.”
