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Development and security are mutually inter-related. They stress the need for a combined strategy to deal simultaneously with the twin challenges of development and security within the framework of a democratic polity committed to respect all fundamental human freedoms and uphold the rule of law. No other developing country of a billion people, as diverse as India, has successfully worked as a democratic system dedicated to the rule of law.
Even as India grows in stature and strength, challenges are arising partly as a consequence of the unevenness of its growth processes, the inequities that remain in its social institutions and the shortcomings of its political institutions. Often these challenges also arise because India is an open society and has allowed free expression to dissent in varying degrees. This is not its weakness, but its strength.
New Challenges
A democratic government has to make a distinction between the genuine and legitimate expression of dissent and disaffection and the manifestations of anti-national, anti-social and anti-people threats to its democratic way of life. There are many challenges to internal security today: criminal activity, extremism, insurgency, terrorism, communal violence and atrocities against women, SCs and STs. Insurgency and extremism have a political dimension that often requires the political management of a security situation. Time and again, this has been attempted in the North-East and in Naxalite-affected areas. The challenge of terrorism must be faced squarely and resolutely by all shades of political opinion. The people of India have suffered a great deal at the hands of terrorists. The Government is resolute in its determination to wipe out this threat to a civilized and democratic way of life. No cause can ever justify the killing of innocent people. No democratic government can tolerate the use of violence against innocent people and against the functionaries of a duly established democratic government.
Extremism is not merely a law and order issue. Development, or rather the lack of it, often has a critical bearing, as do exploitation and iniquitous socio-political circumstances. Inadequate employment opportunities, lack of access to resources, under-developed agriculture, artificially depressed wages, geographical isolation, lack of effective land reforms may all give rise to extremism. There may be other more complex issues like language, ethnicity, caste or religion or cultural rights. In this complex world, all these facets have to be taken into account in evolving a concerted and effective strategy to counter these challenges.
Extremism and Society
Whatever be the cause, it is difficult to deny that extremism has huge societal costs. Investments are unlikely to fructify, employment is not likely to grow and educational facilities may be impaired. Direct costs would include higher costs of infrastructure creation as contractors build “extortions” into their estimates. Consumers may be hurt due to erratic supplies and artificial levies. In all, people and the society at large suffer.
In many cases, extremist areas also appear to be closely associated with a lack of strong participatory mechanism. Panchayats in areas where extremism exists are generally weak and even where they do exist, not enough powers are delegated to them. Panchayats are important from another angle. They create room for political action by mainstream political parties, NGOs and civil society. Generally, traditional headmen and village institutions are treated with respect even by extremists. Ideologically-driven movements do exploit the vacant spaces caused by the absence of mainstream political formations at the grassroots level.
When genuine dissent becomes extremism there can be no ambivalence about tackling it, even if it be only symptomatic. Citizens in India are free to choose the particular brand of politics they wish to follow. They have the freedom to take recourse to collective action to achieve the social, political or economic changes that they desire. But no one is either permitted or expected to resort to violence to achieve these ends or to try and prevent the elected functionaries from doing what they are supposed to do. Talks and negotiations should always be welcomed. The Government has repeatedly stressed that it is ready to talk to any group that abjures violence.
Firm But Understanding
The basic issues regarding violence and the State’s obligations to curb it, should be clarified at the outset so that there is no misunderstanding or feeling of being let down at later stages. Nothing should be done which detracts from the authority of the Indian State and its primary role as an upholder of public order. The State should not even remotely be seen to back away in the face of threats of armed violence. It needs to be firm, but not transgress the limits of human rights or dignity. It must prevent the society from being brutalised. However, legitimate needs and aspirations, even if set out in procedurally or presentationally inappropriate terms, should be examined with care and sympathy because the Government is dealing, after all, with its own people, even though they may have strayed from the path of rectitude.
Good Governance
The need for a focussed, compact, multi-disciplinary group to handle such a complex issue, cannot be over-emphasized.
Therein lies the importance of good governance which entails effective, humane maintenance of law and order and efficient policing. A well- trained, sensitive, citizen-friendly but firm police force is a necessary element of it. The Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil, recently pointed out the fact that in the last one year there has been a marked decline in infiltration and in violence in Jammu & Kashmir. Notwithstanding the recent dastardly attempt to disrupt the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad by terrorist elements, the people of Jammu and Kashmir came out onto the streets as one to welcome this gesture of reconciliation. The terrorists and extremists in the region must grasp the mood of the people and hopefully would not try to disrupt this bus service again.
There has also been a decline in extremist violence and restoration of normalcy in many parts of the North-East including Manipur and Assam. This region is now ripe for accelerated economic development provided peace and security are ensured. Destiny beckons the North-East to become an active bridge between South Asia and East Asia at a time when this century is going to be an Asian century. It must be reiterated that violence and the use of force cannot win the rewards that insurgents and extremists seek.
Many States are grappling with the threat of Naxalism. One cannot ignore the fact that the threat of naxalism is geographically spread out to the more backward regions and districts of the country. Hence, the strategy to tackle this threat to law and order in these States and regions will have to be to “walk on two legs”: to implement programmes and policies that address the pressing needs and demands of the people, especially the scheduled tribes and scheduled castes; and, at the same time, to ensure effective policing and maintenance of law and order. The speedy implementation of land reforms, the redistribution of land, the assurance of tribal rights to forest produce, implementation of development projects and spread of mass education and health facilities are all important steps that must be taken.
At the same time one cannot ignore the inter-State and external dimension to Naxalism today. This requires greater coordination between the State Governments and between the Centre and the States. It needs a comprehensive approach to deal with Naxalism given the emerging linkages between groups within and outside the country. One should also notice that there is a nexus between terrorist groups, organized crime syndicates, drug trafficking and external forces interested in destabilizing Indian polity. Political parties in the country must ensure that such forces and groups are kept away from our political processes. We need to have zero tolerance for criminalisation of politics in our country.
Inclusive Society
On the happier side, the incidence of communal violence has come down in recent months. The Government is firmly committed to give security to all the citizens irrespective of their caste or religion. It is doubly committed to protect the lives and livelihood of all minorities. India has stood tall as a nation because of the fact that it is the world’s most successfully functioning multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious democracy. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the policy makers to ensure that this precious character of our nationhood is not weakened by the forces of bigotry and chauvinism. The security forces must remain sensitive to this and act decisively in the face of any challenge to communal peace and harmony.
Continuing crimes against the weaker sections, particularly women and children and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are a matter of disgrace in a civilized society. Deeply concerned about the historical injustices faced by the weaker sections of the society, the founding fathers had made provisions in the Constitution to protect their interests, prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race and caste. But crimes against these sections of society still continue. This calls for a serious introspection and a comprehensive review of the strategies adopted so far and an analysis of the factors that have been responsible for this unfortunate but continuing trend.
Need for Modernization
Special attention needs to be paid to intelligence gathering and the modernization of our intelligence services and security forces. The developments in communication, transportation and technologies today have enabled anti-social and terrorist elements to have access to most sensitive areas to indulge in their nefarious activities. Intelligence gathering and the security apparatus must rise to the occasion to meet this challenge. Timely availability of reliable information is a key weapon in the defence of national security. There has to be much better integration and coordination of work between different intelligence agencies, between such agencies and security forces, between the Centre and the States and among States.
Technological modernization and training in tackling new dimensions to national security like economic security, cyber security, energy security, container security and such like must get their due attention.
Internal security is the biggest national challenge today. In dealing with this and other manifestations of criminal activity, extremism and insurgency, the Centre and the States must function as a cohesive team, work on a war footing and pay the highest attention to the challenges of internal security.
The UPA government has made it clear that there is no place for violence and extremism of any kind in a democratic, rule-based society. At the same time, one must realize that disaffection and alienation are a result of pent up grievances against economic and social deprivation. Therefore, the onus on all the policy makers is to provide good, effective governance that provides a ray of hope to all and a stake in our collective future.
* From the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s address to the Chief Ministers’ Conference in New Delhi on April 15, 2005
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