EDITORIAL

Our struggle for a
Secure and Secular India

The nation seems to have just stopped short of another war with Pakistan. The armies of India and Pakistan in eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation on the border, with yet no visible and verifiable signs of drop in terrorist infiltration, was a recipe for disaster. Deployment of troops on the border is a double-edged weapon. Smt. Sonia Gandhi in her presidential address at the AICC Session in Talkatora Stadium pointed out that though five months had passed since the "unprecedented" deployment of troops on the border yet there had been no respite in the menace of terrorism. Extreme steps like deployment of troops must be taken only as a last resort. This step should never be allowed to lose its deterrence value or become a point of no return. The Congress Party and indeed the whole nation has stood steadfast by the Government to face the hour of crisis. But it also believes that we should not willingly become captives of crisis either. Smt. Sonia Gandhi has categorically declared at the AICC Session, "I have been repeatedly saying that we support the Government in its efforts to stamp out cross-border terrorism and restore peace in Jammu and Kashmir". Fortunately latest reports have brought some hope. But we have to remain vigilant.

The AICC Session was held at a time when the nation was at cross-roads. The post Pokharan-II Indo-Pak confrontation brought forth the realization that a mutually destructive nuclear war might have no victor or vanquished, and indeed involve the whole world in the catastrophe. The war clouds have already adversely affected our economy. Foreign investment and tourism have slowed down further. Pakistan too will take quite some time to win back confidence of the world and once again become a safe place to do business. Destiny has ordained India and Pakistan to be neighbours. We have to seriously search for the path to live peacefully. The Congress Party firmly believes that doors to negotiations should not be closed irreversibly.

Innumerable speakers also expressed their worry about the deteriorating communal atmosphere in the country. To meet the challenges of the communal climate, Smt. Sonia Gandhi has decided to set up a `Sadbhavana ke Sipahi' a rapid action Force of Congressmen and women to fight communalism in its every form. Without communal harmony and social equilibrium a nation cannot hope to achieve sustainable progress, much less a nation like India with myriad religions, linguistic and cultural dimensions. Sadly the BJP is determined to destroy the very bedrock of our nationhood.

The AICC Session focused on the historic principles and dynamic policies which make the Congress Party the true voice of our people, irrespective of their caste and religion. The Session reaffirmed our commitment to these values. The foremost duty of every Congress worker and indeed every true Indian is to preserve them. When Pandit Nehru said that `Freedom is in peril', he meant that these values can be threatened from inside as much as from outside. The NDA Government and its leading party, BJP regrettably do not recognize the dangers involved in the sectarian policies they are pursuing. History teaches us that once social fabric and ethnic harmony of heterogeneous societies like India are disturbed it takes decades to restore peace and well being. The Congress Party is engaged in a historic struggle to save India from a sectarian and communal disaster. Our faith is that we will succeed.