Opinion Military lessons
In the aftermath of the worst massacre of CRPF men by Maoists,many people and analysts seem to be getting convinced that its time for the armed forces to take over.
• In the aftermath of the worst massacre of CRPF men by Maoists,many people and analysts seem to be getting convinced that its time for the armed forces to take over. This would be an even bigger folly than committing ill-prepared and poorly-led paramilitary forces to an uncharted terrain against a savage and well-entrenched enemy. A much better option would be to learn from the experience of the army in such operations. The tactics being employed by Naxals are similar to those used by the Vietnamese against the French and Americans. This means there are lessons to be learnt from military history. The need of the hour is to train the junior leadership of the paramilitary under army supervision,besides providing better ordnance and logistics.
Niharika Rai
New Delhi
How we fail
• Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram should think of long-term solutions in the best interests of the nation,rather than scoring rhetorical points by making bold statements signifying little. When the government procrastinates,and is unable to resolve serious issues through civilian ways,or when intelligence agencies fail and security forces are assigned duty for which they are not fully trained,the result is disastrous,as in the case of the 75 CRPF personnel who lost their lives.
Satish K. Kapoor
Solapur
Firmness first
• The headline Tears,anger,resolve and the expansive coverage filling the edition of The Indian Express were serious. The laid down coffins,pictures of bereaved families and their stories were telling. And the picture of Home Minister P. Chidambaram in his chair told where the buck now stopped. For once,politicians seemed to have shown genuine concern. Its necessary to tackle the menace on a war footing,not necessarily militarily or vengefully,but through a well-coordinated network of Centre and states,and that which need to be not publicised. All approaches to tackling the problem must be revisited and all options kept open,but firmness needs to be given priority in repeat eventualities.
Kedarnath R. Aiyar
Rebuild Sri Lanka
• The democratic exercise in Sri Lanka is a welcome symbol of hope and change for the nation. Sri Lankans having their electoral tryst after the battle with the LTTE and a controversial aftermath to the presidential election is good news. The president has to live up to his promises and endeavour to deliver good governance,despite the low turnout in the parliamentary polls. This is also a good time for Sri Lanka to restore its image by inviting the UN agencies to resolve human rights issues. However,the international community should extend its cooperation in reconstructing the nation.
Syed Khaja
New Delhi
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