A great joke is narrated in Punjab which applies appropriately to the present UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh and inspired by Congress supremo Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

A strong man gave a forceful slap on the face of a weak person. The latter got infuriated. "Don't slap me again", he retorted, "Otherwise I'll strike back with greater force".

The hefty man put another slap on his opponent's face. The victim was more furious. "Don't do it again, otherwise I will have to hit you back and you'll repent".

The mighty was still unrepentant. He did it again. The weakling continued to repeat his threats again and again. The toughy repeated his slaps four-five times. Ultimately, the meek man smiled and shook hands with him saying, "You're very naughty. You have not quit your habit to joke".

That exactly the way the UPA government is behaving in the face of repeated terror ‘slaps' on its face. After 26/11 it tried to project itself as a very brave government which could no longer put up with Pakistan's non-sense any more and was too ready to teach a lesson. Its then defence and external affair ministers, Messrs A. K. Antony and Pranav Mukherjee declared in very bold language that the option to strike back is "not ruled out".

But what happened? Pakistan has proved to be unrelenting as ever in its old game of treachery, mischief and cross-border terrorism. But it is India which has scaled down from her high pedestal of bravery to a position of compromise. In fact, people had extended a hand of support for its bold stand against terror but after UPA won elections it was back to its old game.

Bold stand, weak reality

Same is true of UPA's attitude towards Naxal-Maoist attacks against India. When it gained power in 2004, it did on the strength of underhand understanding with Maoists in Andhra Pradesh and with ULFA in Assam. Immediately on gaining power in Andhra Pradesh, Congress government lifted the ban on the Maoists. Their leaders, fully armed, roamed in the streets of Hyderabad as if they were not those accused of heinous crimes of murder, rape, looting and waging a war against the state, but VIPs like our public representatives and ministers elected by the people. They shared space on the negotiating table fully laced with arms and ammunition, as if they had not come for talks but descended on the war front to strike against the ‘enemy'. They utilized this interregnum to consolidate their position and regroup. When ultimately they killed a Congress minister in the State, the reality dawned on the Congress and it was then left with no alternative but to re-impose the ban that had been imposed by the previous TDP government of Chandrababu Naidu.

Last update : 12-04-2010 11:27

Keywords : Naxalites-Maoists Show Their Strength, Government Its Weakness, Amba Charan Vashishth

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