Indian resilience

The biggest challenge before the Maharashtra and central government in the aftermath of the Mumbai blasts was to prevent a communal backlash at any cost.

The biggest challenge before the Maharashtra and central government in the aftermath of the Mumbai blasts was to prevent a communal backlash at any cost. Riots, instigated by hatred, were exactly what the terrorists had hoped for. Minutes after the blasts, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had called the central government and organised heavy support from paramilitary forces in the city. The agility of the state administration, in sharp contrast to Sudhakar Rao Naik8217;s inaction 13 years ago, went a long way in preventing any retaliation.

An all-party meeting scheduled the very next morning also turned out to be fruitful. I must commend all the political parties who displayed remarkable solidarity with the government and did not let any untoward incident happen. No opposition party called for a bandh, invariably the first step to disaster. A bandh is deftly exploited by petty antisocial elements who pelt stones, forcibly shut down shops and incite further, motivated violence.

As an MP from Maharashtra, I had camped in Mumbai for three days and was amazed to see the people of both communities working in tandem to extend help to the blast victims. Despite an attempt by some organisations and a national daily, the people of Mumbai were not provoked. The media itself played a balanced and positive role by and large, which was a pleasant surprise. A visit by President APJ Kalam and statements by prominent citizens including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Shabana Azmi also helped defuse the tension.

I also accompanied the Prime Minister to various hospitals. Wherever he went, people had lined up on both sides of road to greet him. There were no protests, no demonstrations, no signs of tension preceding a backlash as had happened following the 1993 blasts. The enemies had planned to destroy India by destroying Mumbai, but the credit goes to Mumbaikars for foiling their plan. The recent past has shown a remarkable change in the mindsets of people in the way that despite the gruesome acts of violence in sensitive locations. Whether it is the Sankatmochan temple in Varanasi or the local trains of Mumbai, people have shown tremendous resilience and avoided falling in traps laid by terrorists. Peaceful solidarity in the face of grave provocation is the biggest failure for terrorists.

House alert

The on and off turf war between the legislature and the judiciary is now witnessing another flashpoint: house allotments in Delhi8217;s Lutyens zone. The judiciary wants full authority on all house allotments and the Parliament House Committee is questioning their jurisdiction.

In my view, this is a futile debate. Already possessing full control over house allotments and facilities for the judges, the judiciary should calmly let Parliament look after its MPs. Unnecessary generation of heat does not serve any purpose. Providing suitable accommodation and meeting demands of all MPs is a complicated and burdensome task for the House Committee and the judiciary will be better off without taking over the unnecessary headache.

Confusing SIMIlarity

The Students Islamic Movement of India SIMI has been at the centre of many controversies following the Mumbai blasts. But the organisation was certainly least prepared to see its name surfacing in an unexpected controversy. Totally clueless and oblivious to what SIMI was all about, Mulayam Singh8217;s brother and Senior UP minister Shivpal Yadav launched a tirade against it, mistaking it for some grave law enacted by the centre. He proclaimed that SIMI was a cruel act and the central government had been grossly unfair in imposing SIMI on him and his family. He further demanded that SIMI should be urgently repealed and it should not be used against the opposition.

The writer is a Congress MP in Rajya Sabha