Can Assam beget a Chief Minister who CARES?

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on November 8, 2008 was at his belligerence best while addressing a Press Meet at Guwahati claiming to have entered the semifinal round after cruising through the quarter final in the lead to the investigation of the October 30 serial blasts that rocked through Guwahati, Barpeta Road, Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar killing more than 80 people and injuring 200 others.

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It is the same Chief Minister who took three days to visit the devastating bomb blast site at Ganeshguri, a place just 300 meters from his seat of power, and after just nine days of the inhuman act of terror is claiming to be in the semifinal round of investigation to nail the perpetrators of the ghastly incident?

Is it the same Chief Minister who despite holding the all-important home portfolio was seemingly silent while dreaded terrorist of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Nurul Amin fled way in the year 2006 from custody hoodwinking his 61,630 strong police force? Why was security cover of this dreaded terrorist relaxed while he was undergoing so-called treatment at GMCH? Was it a covert move to appease the fundamentalist forces or another gaffe of the rudderless police force?

For the Delhi police, Nurul Amin was a prize catch as he happened to be a close confidant of Massod Azhar, the prime accused in the Kandahar plane hijacking incident, and involved in the kidnapping of four foreigners from New Delhi in 1994, but did the Assam police thought likewise? It is reported by intelligence sources in media that Nurul Amin is a veteran Jehadi who has seen action in Chechnya and Jammu & Kashmir.

Unlike other serial blasts in India during the current year, PTD devices were used in the deadly RDX PE3 cocktail to trigger off the blasts here, which have a similarity with those used in Jammu & Kashmir. So, a definite connection between the Jehadi elements and local insurgents can be smelt in the entire incident. Had Nurul Amin been behind bars, maybe this situation could have been avoided. Is the government listening?

Could not 20 policemen out of this so called 61,630 police force be immediately rushed to the blast site at Ganeshguri to rescue the Officer in Charge of Dispur Police Station and another section of CRPF who were holed up in two different buildings fleeing away from the riotous crowd? Had that been the case it would have saved four precious Fire tender and two ambulances from the unrelenting crowd. After all it took policemen three hours to disperse the assembly of agitating public.

The lapses of the State police and its skeleton like intelligence network are glaring and exemplary. How could nine powerful bombs be triggered despite high alert from central intelligence? Second lapse was that the group of serial bombers could not be traced. Carrying out a serial blast involves several people including the bombers and people giving them logistic support like shelter, cell phones and transportation could not be traced. Assam remains a prime target of insurgents and terrorists since the last three decades. How could the intelligence not even get a trace of such elaborate network of different outfits operating from this region? All these could have been easier had there been a strong human intelligence network and efficient local policing.

As regards India’s repeated allegation against Bangladesh for harbouring terrorists sponsored by ISI and Al Qaeda sponsored Mujahideen groups, there are two simple lines of approach to overcome this phenomena: either you adopt an unrelenting foreign policy pressure on Bangladesh and force them to take concrete action against all such activities targeted against India’s internal security or take pro-active military action against Bangladesh. If United States crossing seven seas can attack Afghanistan over the Al Qaeda and Taliban activities, why can’t India raze down its militarily inferior neighbour? Ritually pointing the finger of accusation against a weak neighbour to escape the disgrace of your failures are interesting facts that are now seeing the light of the day.

The State Chief Minister perhaps inspired by the one-liners of Laloo Prasad since a considerable period of time has been phrasing out one-liners like the recent “won the quarters and have entered into the semi final” but are these one-liners assuaging the concerns of the common people, the people grieved or hurt? Failure of the State Government to provide safety to its people cannot be compensated by doling out monetary relief to those killed and hurt.

The common people being hurt and grieved time and again on account of repeated failure of the government agencies in providing safety to its people shall not tolerate mere excuses provided by the Government of having “generic intelligence instead of specific intelligence inputs of imminent bomb blast”. The masks of incompetence are being gradually unveiled publicly and soon we may see that a one-liner leading to a mass uprising.

Sense of insecurity is creeping into Tarun Gogoi and his micro cabinet colleagues, who shedding their larger than life government image are once again donning ‘Gandhi hats” in a belated action to be within the warmth of estranged party workers. This is significant, as the realisation of the utility of the party apparatus has come after the visit of AICC President Sonia Gandhi on 1st November last.

Now the million-dollar question is who shall direct the Chief Minister to be caring, attentive, responsive, efficient and people-friendly towards the common people. During his first stint as the Chief Minister, it was the same Tarun Gogoi who phrased out the C = Caring, A = Attentive, R = Responsive, E = Efficient, S = Supportive and People Friendly slogan. Time shall tell whether Tarun Gogoi is a man of word!

-- The author is an independent journalist based in Guwahati --