The Hindu photo.
Yesterday's lightning attack inside the brand new Parliament building, touted as having impeccable security systems, has shocked the nation. Even at a place where the equipment of the journalists coming to report the proceedings of the Parliament was let in only after thorough checks, assailants entered with hidden smoke canisters. The manner in which the assailants, who were given a pass on the recommendation of a BJP MP, jumped in from the visitor's gallery to the centre of the House and rushed towards the MPs cannot be thought of as not being well planned. The fact that no deadly weapons were recovered from the attackers and that there were no casualties does not diminish the seriousness of this attack. The events that unfolded in Parliament on Wednesday are the latest example of the central government's failure to ensure national security, beyond the tall claims by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister and the praises sung by a pliant media. The fact that even after 24 hours, the government was not ready to make a statement about the lightning attack underlines the negligence of the government. This will however be no surprise to those who remember the stances taken by the Narendra Modi government, which has been in power for ten years in the country, in similar incidents during its tenure.
It was former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, himself a former BJP man, who openly told the nation that 40 CRPF jawans were killed in the Pakistani terror attack in Pulwama due to the lapse of the Home Department. Till date, government sources have not been able to refute the allegation that a car from Pakistan had roamed through the urban-rural zone of Kashmir for 15 days with 300 kg of RDX before it rammed into the CRPF convoy. Everyone knows who won votes in the 2019 general elections by capitalising on the Pulwama incident and by mentioning the names of its martyrs. What is the method the central government, which sets out to raid NewsClick portal and arrest its editors in the name of a report in a foreign newspaper that it has worked to implement China's agenda, plans to tackle the intrusions by China into Indian territory? In June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in an unprovoked attack by Chinese troops in the Galvan Valley of eastern Ladakh. Even after months of reports that China has built villages in Arunachal Pradesh, which is an integral part of India, the government has not responded to this till date. India's head of government was not able to warn the ruler of China, who claims to have carried out military operations on the Indian border, not to play off the field, despite seeing him more than once. Many months have passed since the state of Manipur started burning. More than 175 people have been killed and people's property has been severely damaged. The Prime Minister, who flies from state to state to inaugurate trains and bridges, and finds time to visit world nations despite the multitude of his tasks, did not listen to the collective clamour to visit the place. The Prime Minister's response to the hate killings and riots taking place in many parts of the country, particularly states ruled by the BJP, is no different. And now instead of clarifying the issues regarding the lightning attack on Parliament before the elected representatives, the government has shown the audacity to suspend members, who demanded such explanation which conveys a dangerous message. The country should not tolerate this irresponsible approach. The government should be ready to remove all the smokescreens regarding national security.