Editorial...

Doda satyagraha
By the nation, for the nation

For BJP the whole country is one integral whole, one unit, one family, one body. It does not matter which part of the body gets hurt, it pains the heart and mind equally. That is why the blood that flowed out in Kashmir because of the cruel violence inflicted by inhuman terrorists, it left a trail of anger and anguish among the party workers in every part of the country. For BJP pain of the people in any part of the country is its very own pain irrespective of the fact whether it is politically strong or weak in a particular State. Because of this sentiment the anguish of Kashmir became the agony of the people of the country as a whole. It was in fulfillment of this national duty that BJP launched the Save Doda, Save Nation Andolan in Jammu & Kashmir because saving Doda, it felt, amounted to saving the nation by thwarting the ill-designs of the enemies of the nation. By giving this Andolan a national character, BJP only performed its duty to the nation.

Kashmir is an integral part of India. That has never been in doubt. Through this nine-day satyagraha in which karyakartas from every nook and corner of the country thronged in large numbers braving the vagaries of nature and travails of travel, BJP has only strengthened the resolve of the nation to protect Kashmir at all costs. Women did not lag behind in this endeavour. People of India will not — this much is sure — allow the sacrifices made by thousands of our people and the valiant soldiers to defend Kashmir to go waste. They are determined to frustrate the evil designs of the enemies of the nation violating the sanctity of all that Kashmir stands for – its great culture, its great traditions and its great name. They are spreading an orgy of blood and terror in an otherwise peaceful, beautiful, green valley with snow-clad peaks. BJP has tried to bring home the message to the misguided terrorists that the whole country and every political party stands as one man on the Kashmir issue. UPA government too needs to look at the concern shown by BJP not from a narrow political angle but from a wider national perspective. That also is the need of the hour. When the integrity of the nation is threatened, the whole country unitedly stands up like a rock. Problems then find their own solution and crises blow over.

Ours is a democratic country. It is, therefore, not unusual if we have a government at the Centre belonging to one political party/alliance and in the States belonging to different ones. But that certainly does not mean that those in power at the Centre should transgress the rights and domain of the States and the States, in turn, should not cooperate with the government at the Centre only because they subscribe to different political ideologies. Such things should not happen in a federal set up. In the same way, when a political party is voted into power by the people, it should not assume that people have executed an irrevocable will for a permanent mandate in its favour for all times to come. After reviewing its performance people can always review their opinion and withdraw their mandate any time.

In democracy a party in power is as much important as is the opposition. Ignoring the opposition can, therefore, only kill democracy and lead to dictatorship. It is in the interests of both the democracy and the political system that opposition should never be overlooked and instead given due respect and recognition. Opposition too has a role, a duty which it should perform honestly and sincerely.

BJP brought into focus the facts that prompted it to launch the campaign in Kashmir. The people of the country have a right to know the reality in Kashmir, including the happenings in Doda. Through this campaign BJP succeeded in making people come face to face with this reality. People from east to the west and north to the south, from every corner of India flooded the Jammu streets in large numbers to express their solidarity with the people of Jammu & Kashmir to reassure them that they are always with them through thick and thin. They have also given out a message loud and clear to the UPA that whatever its prevarications, the country solidly stands behind the people of Kashmir.

The plight of Hindus and Kashmiri Pandits rendered refugees in their own land continues to be as miserable as ever. Stark failures and thoughtless decisions of both the UPA government at the Centre and coalition government in J&K have only succeeded in raising high the morale of terrorists. Why was POTA repealed at all? What was the outcome of the talks with Hurriyat? Why do we fail to give a bit of our mind to Musharraf in clear terms? Can the decision to withdraw army from border or reduce its strength be a farsighted one? Why are the training camps and infrastructure of terrorists not being smashed? Not one, there are so many other such questions that demand an answer from UPA and J&K government. As a party with unshakable faith in nationalism, BJP has performed its duty to the nation by launching a satyagraha involving the whole nation for a national cause. This action is being spoken high of by one and all in the country.

Rising prices to spell UPA doom

From what UPA government has all along been doing, it appears it has started digging its own political grave. In a way even the communist parties supporting the UPA from outside and enjoying, in full, the fruits of power from inside, are only trying to make a fool of people by firing bullets of words against price rise to give the impression as if they are fighting against the government on this anti-people policy. But this, in reality, is not true. The people of India may be simple, credulous, but they certainly are politically very agile and wise. The communists seem to give the impression as if their duty towards the people ended with just handing over a nine-page note to UPA. For the past over two years, they have been trying to make a fool of the common man with such gimmicks. They need to understand that they can befool some people for some time, but not all the people for all the time. Not once, numerous times have the people of India given a proof of their political acumen. The left parties and UPA alliance partners should not forget that the common man presently getting a beating at the hands of everyday rise in prices will certainly bounce back to give, in defence, a fatal punch to all of them at the appropriate time.

The aam aadmi is being crushed under the unbearable weight of increasing prices. His cries seem to be falling on deaf ears of UPA which seems to have become lifeless and paralysed to act in right earnest in the present situation. This state of affairs is giving rise to a string of suspicions. What are the reasons behind UPA breaking all the 50-year old records of price rise in just two years? People need an answer, but it has none; it is not forthcoming even with one explanation. It started taking pride when the Sensex skyrocketed. But without giving it time to celebrate the sensex nose-dived and UPA had to bow its head in embarrassment. It seems worried at the fall in sensex but continues to be immune to the plight of the common man because of rising prices and increasing number of collective suicides by poor people and kissans. Never did the country witness a shameless spectacle of shortages, black-marketing and hoarding in essential commodities of daily use by the common man. The long queues before consumer stores vending these supplies is a living example of it.

To warn the UPA government, BJP has given a call for countrywide protests against price rise in every corner of the country. Even BJP stalwarts, former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shri Lal Krishna Advani and Shri Rajnath Singh had to throng the streets to give vent to the feelings of the aam aadmi to express their solidarity and affinity with him.

The Congress and its allies continue to shed crocodile tears on aam aadmi’s plight. They stand exposed before the people. But blinded by the hunger for power and accompanying prosperity, they are not able to come out in support of the people in this hour of need. How far will these parties continue to play with the life and sentiments of the people? In the face of rising price index under the UPA dispensation, it is increasingly becoming difficult and costlier to live and easier and cheaper to die. People are not able to make both ends meet. Women are finding it almost impossible to manage their family budget with income stagnant and prices mounting. They are not able to meet the basic demands of their children. If UPA fails to startle out of its slumber to act, the day will not be far off when the anger of the people bursts out in the open and throws the present rulers in the dust-bin of history.