Letter to Congress Workers

Dear friends

This year Diwali and Eid, the two great festivals of India, were marred by the senseless violence that killed innocent people in Delhi. Our hearts bleed for those who lost their children, their parents and other loved ones. The timing and the places where the terrorist attacks took place shows that the perpetrators of this crime came well prepared to cause maximum damage. They had only one aim _ to strike fear in the hearts of our people. But our people have once again shown their resilience and their ability to stand up to terror. India is detrmined to find the culprits of this heinous crime and we will not rest till they are bought to justice.

This month we also lost one of India's great leaders and intellectuals in former President Narayanan. Like Dr. Ambedkar, he represented the true spirit of Indian democracy. The ability and desire to rise above social, cultural and economic discrimination and reach the highest office in the country. As President, he had ensured that constitutional requirements were met at all times. We hope that his example will lead others to aspire for better things.

The thirteenth SAARC summit was held in Dacca recently. SAARC is an important institution for regional solidarity and our Prime Minister raised, once again, India's commitment to solidarity in the region. This is an important forum and one that is designed to enhance our mutual cooperation. The issue of terrorism in the subcontinent and the need to have comprehensive cooperation in this area is fundamental if peace and prosperity is to be achieved in this region. There can be no compromise with terrorists ever and their camps must be rooted out where ever they exist. Today the world is vastly different from the years when national boundaries alone determined the fate of nations. In a globalising world it is important that we on the sub-continent let go issues that have caused misunderstanding in the past. We owe it to our people to effectively use our combined economic and cultural strength to propel our people out of the cycles of poverty and deprivation which still affect a large section of the population in our countries.

We can indeed learn a lesson from the way in which ASEAN countries have come together to forge strong economic and cultural ties leading to greater prosperity for the region as a whole. The economies of the subcontinent are also greatly complementary and the SAFTA proposed for the region is the right step forward to engage each other as equal and cooperative partners in the development of the sub-continent as a whole. We are a rich and diverse region and share a long cultural and historical legacy. We owe it to our people to build on this legacy and use it to provide our people with a sound and peaceful future.

This month the Congress Party has also taken over the reigns of government in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress will continue to respect the modalities of its coalition government and ensure that we build upon the good work that has already been done by our coalition partners the PDP. We will also work towards restoring the image of the Congress Party in the valley by providing good governance and seeing that the equitable development goals of the Party are implemented and lead to the overall growth of peace and prosperity in the province. We have shown that coalition governments based on shared principles can work successfully and in Jammu and Kashmir our relationship with our partners has been more than good. It has created a new atmosphere in the valley, one where people have turned their backs against terrorism and violence.