Playing with fire

The government should deal firmly with mischief-makers who are exploiting the strong popular feeling aroused by the killings in Kashmir. If trouble is not nipped in the bud it will be hard to prevent repetitions of the situation in Surat where communal tension has led to considerable violence including several fatalities. It is understandable that there should be shock, sorrow and anger over the deaths of men, women and children who were going about their own business and posed no threat to anyone nor had anything to do with the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. Naturally the public will want to protest the killings as well as the authorities’ failure to protect ordinary people. But it is impermissible to play with people’s emotions as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has been doing by focussing on the communal overtones of what were essentially and blatantly acts of political terrorism. The bandhs and speeches by the VHP are being projected as protests on behalf of Amarnath yatris who were killed. For obvious reasons,the other killings on bloody Tuesday, including those of a large number of poor brick kiln workers, many villagers and members of a local Muslim family, get next to no attention in its discourse. This emphasis on one incendiary aspect of the massacre is a distortion of the facts and is bound to cause trouble.

BJP leaders at least should know better and try to correct the picture, instead of participating in the VHP’s programme without a murmur and in fact even sanctioning action by their cadres which has very specific communal symbolism as in Mumbai. At such times it is the responsibility of political leaders to put issues in perspective, instead of whipping up popular passions for partisan purposes. If the intention is to strengthen the hands of the Central government and the authorities in J&K as they cope with very difficult tasks there are better ways of doing it than lighting fires in the rest of India. Political leaders also need to ask themselves what purpose is served by halting trains and forcing business establishments and shops to close. Such disruptive action and the violence that often accompanies it may be a means of testing the clout of political parties and organisations and enhancing their reputations. It is certainly not called for on any other grounds. There are better ways of expressing popularfeeling than bringing whole cities to a halt and multiplying the damage terrorists do.

It is a critical juncture in J&K, the first real opportunity in a decade to find the road to peace which can be scuttled all too easily. Bad faith and foolish action can set things back by another decade. That is why it is very important for the Prime Minister to try to communicate his understanding of the general situation to other political parties and especially to members of the Sangh Parivar. Taking an all-party delegation to Srinagar has turned out well, a much-needed message of political solidarity. It would be sensible to follow up that impromptu step with regular consultation and discussion. Atal Behari Vajpayee displays a sure political touch at this time. If only some of his good sense could rub off on the rest of the BJP and its associates.