The concern of AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh over the use of illegal arms in the recent riots that rocked the BTAD areas of Assam is indeed most touching. If anything, it serves to add sauce to the charade of pretence relating to vital issues of Assam like militancy, large-scale illegal migration from Bangladesh, electoral rolls, identity cards for citizens, the lack of industrial development triggering off the highest unemployment rate in the country and so on that the Congress has carried on for years as and when it has been in power. On August 10, Singh told journalists at a press meet in Guwahati that the matter of disarming all the people in possession of illegal arms should be taken up at the highest level. This is a puerile statement that even school children can be counted on to make. There is nothing profound in it. We do not need the eminence of someone like Digvijay Singh to make us aware of such rudimentary home truths. But the pretence and the prevarication that go with it are of some consequence. Digvijay Singh would probably have us believe that he is not aware of the general amnesty that the then Chief Minister of Assam Hiteswar Saikia extended to the cadres of the ULFA that had surrendered in 1992. There was a colourful ceremony, and Hiteswar Saikia magnanimously permitted a large number of the ULFA cadres to retain some of their sophisticated weapons of the Anatoly Kalashnikov series (AK-47s and AK-56s) for their personal safety. What he obviously overlooked was that many of the ULFA cadres who had surrendered had already retained some of their weapons for a rainy day, and Hiteswar Saikia’s largesse was actually a windfall of sorts. What was even more interesting was that Saikia had even got senior Army officers to issue slips to serve as some kind of a licence to legitimize these illegal weapons. After the initial phase, Army officers refused to sign such slips. However, Hiteswar Saikia had already managed to create another Frankenstein Monster that got to be known as the SULFA (for surrendered ULFA) that became even more of a threat to civil life than the ULFA itself. The police knew how well armed the SULFA men were, and looked the other way whenever they passed by. The SULFA men have used their sophisticated arms to create unholy syndicates in most business activities and to stoke inflation thereby, to prevent legitimate contractors with many years of experience from filing tenders for contracts and in general creating an ambience of lawlessness and crime. As general secretary of the Congress, Digvijay Singh must know only too well that his political party has been at the forefront of all organizations responsible for putting clandestine, unlicensed arms in circulation in Assam.  And now he pretends that the existence of clandestine arms in the State is news to him! Digvijay Singh must also be aware of how Rajiv Gandhi had sent officers of the RAW to train Bodo youths to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs) because he wanted the AGP government to be destabilized. Digvijay Singh must be wise enough and experienced enough to realize by now that one reaps as one has sown. And that is precisely what the governments in Assam and at the Centre are doing now.

As if the pretence of Digvijay Singh, Badruddin Ajmal and Tarun Gogoi were not enough, the Prime Minister promised a 12-member delegation of the AIUDF in New Delhi on the same day that all the illegal arms in the BTAD area would be seized soon. What emboldens him to make wild and irresponsible statements like this when the nation knows the track records of both the Union government and the State government? Everyone knows that this is an impossible task given the  weaponry in the hands of our police forces and the kind of weapons that will have to be seized. Can it be a legitimate objective of the Prime Minister of a country to make impossible empty promises to the nation merely to buy time? We consider this highly unethical conduct on the part of the Prime Minister.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has been airing the view that rumours have been responsible for the exodus of hundreds of workers and students of Assam from the States of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka due to their having received threats of retaliation for the recent riots in the BTAD area of Assam from certain groups in these States. While there is no denying that rumour-mongering also plays a major role in such situations, it should be clear to anyone that the principal mischief-monger in the violence in Mumbai and the retaliatory threats in the three aforesaid States has been the AIUDF. There are fairly clear indications that will be confirmed by intelligence sources that the AIDUF not only had leaflets printed and distributed in Mumbai, but that it also sent out SMS messages to groups that could whip up violence. The obvious course of action for any sensible and efficient administration would have been to arrest AIDUF chief Badruddin Ajmal for seditious activities, have him detained and ensure a speedy trial in order to rule out the possibility of such things happening again. However, when any administration delays such obvious and vital initiatives, it itself creates conditions that make such initiatives risky propositions later on in terms of the fallout of such action. That is why weak administrations will ever have occasion to repent at leisure the imperative actions that were not taken in time out of fear. In the present case, it was because fear was the key in avoiding the right action at the proper time that the administration has been obliged to look for other excuses for the exodus that are far from the real reason.

The United States approach towards China and India is becoming increasingly clear as day follows day. There is a perceptible draft of the U.S. away from China. Judging from recent developments a new Cold War is slowly developing. In the fifties, till the break-up of the Soviet Union, the U.S. enemy was Moscow. Now the enemy is Beijing. During the Cold War, in pursuit of its self-interest Pakistan decided to accept the open embrace of the United States and made the most of it. Now the same United States wants India’s cooperation to put China in its place. The request is very appealing. But India is warned: Do not play into the hands of the now friend. The government must put India’s interests, first, last and always, as did Pakistan which got away with murder. As of now Delhi seems to be wary of committing itself to Washington’s offer. China is watching. Chinese analysts are quoted as saying that the U.S. efforts to make India a part of its alliance against China will not succeed because India pursues an independent foreign policy. That may be wishful thinking, but it must turn out to be true. But what does the U.S. want? It wants a “re-balancing” of its military strategy to bring India into greater focus of its Pacific Command. All manner of tricks are being resorted to them is plain flattery. In early June, the U.S. Defence Ministry’s spokesman, described India as “a global power” determined to meet its responsibilities. The U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta himself said “India is the only country we mention in the Defence Strategy Guidance (a policy statement of the Pentagon) as a partner”. And he was to add: “And we are really shifting to a point at which our defence interactions with India are becoming routing”. For example, India is now close to inking a $ 647 million contract with the US for the acquisition of 145 M-777 ultra light howitzers from the US in a direct government to government deal. Another deal being finalised is the $ 1.4 billion contract to acquire 22 missile armed helicopters. All that, and much more, may be true, but in the end India should not be party to play any U.S. game and that must be made plain, especially in regard to the latter’s continuing support to Pakistan.  Washington must be told to stop all military aid to Pakistan, warn it against using Jihadis against India but above all, make it plain to Islamabad that it supports India’s claim to the whole of Jammu & Kashmir, including Pakistan occupied territory. Over and over again, self-interest must guide India’s actions. Strong objection must be taken to Barack Obama’s effort to seek approval of the Congress for $ 2.4 billion aid to Pakistan. Apart from flattery, the U.S. has promised India “capability building, enhanced defence trade, joint development in the field of defence and strategic defence cooperation”. How can the U.S. possibly have strategic defence cooperation with India if, simultaneously, it has military relations with Pakistan? That is one part of the picture. As for China, Beijing must be told in unequivocal terms that it must give up its claims to Arunachal Pradesh, must quit the areas north of Pakistan Occupied Territory where it has its troops stationed and otherwise stay away from souuth Asia. Besides, not only should China openly support India’s entry into the U.N. Security Council as a Permanent Member with attendant powers, but also assure India’s full membership of the Shanghai Cooperative Organisation (SOO). Presently it only has an Observer status in the Group consisting of Uzbekistan, Kazakhistan, Tajikistan, Kyrghistan, Russia and China. Meanwhile U.S. is pulling out all stops to take ‘lynchpin’ India on board its new defence and security policy that focuses on the Asia Pacific. The U.S. wants India to sign three major Agreements, namely, the Logistics Support Agreement, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Political Cooperation (DEGAGSC) and the Communications Inter-Operability and Security Memorandum of Understanding (CISMOU). They sound very supportive, but one of them, Logistic  Support Agreement can be interpreted to grant U.S. forces basing rights and access to India for military establishments. That would be exposing our inner strength. Panetta has signed similar agreements with Vietnam and Singapore, even before landing in Delhi. The time may come when the U.S. may even insist on stationing US troops in India which under no circumstances should be permissible. India is not Pakistan, not is it Vietnam or Singapore. The U.S. also wants to send a message to China that it cannot make illogical claims over suzerainty over Pacific waters. Presently the US has no need to maintain a fleet in the Atlantic, even if NATO is on the verge of breaking. Russia is no more a threat. But China can be, at least as the U.S. sees the situation. The problem of the so called China South Sea surely can be resolved by taking the issue to the International Court of Justice. Has anyone thought of that? The U.S. wants to make its presence felt in the Pacific by transferring 60 per cent of its naval assets to the Asia Pacific Region on a rotational basis in addition to maintaining ground forces in South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Japan. Fair enough. That is its privilege. The U.S. also wants to see that the Indian Ocean remains peaceful and to help India to see that this is achieved. India has little interest in the Pacific except concerning its normal right to thorough international waters without being challenged, China is known to push itself as much in the Indian Ocean as possible, much to India’s chagrin, not to say dismay. There is no question but that china’s imperial ambitions have to be curtailed. But for that India does not have to accept a subaltern status visa-a-vie the U.S. It would be wiser on the part of India to be non aligned and use its power where it is paying and cheap in the long run. Pakistan felt that it was just being clever in playing second fiddle to the United States. In the process it has lost not just East Bengal, but its self respect as well. And it has, worse still, lost its freedom, to the point that it can do nothing when the U.S. bombs Pakistani territory, killing, among others Pakistan soldiers in addition to civilians. Presently Pakistan is worse than a slave state. It has no relevance. Forget Pakistan. India must not even be an England, ever ready to implement American strategic interests. India will be a global power whether anybody likes it or not. Its economy will be more than doubled in 10 years to over $ 8.5 trillion. It constitutes 75 per cent of South Asia’s total population and 82 per cent of its combined GDP. Nobody can stop India’s progress as a global power. It is therefore incumbent for India to behave like one and lay down terms where its interests are involved, a point that both the U.S. and China may do well to remember.

MV  Kamath