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To be fair to Patil, he never got much of assistance from any of the state governments, which are directly responsible for the maintenance of law and order and also for collecting intelligence information at the grassroots level. The states were quite happy to see the responsibility and the blame being fixed on Patil.
But his own statements and actions never instilled any confidence among the people who were at the receiving end of an endless cycle of violence and mindless terror attacks.
There have been eight major incidents of terrorist strikes in this year alone — including the latest attacks in Mumbai — in which more than 400 people have lost their lives. But all that came out in response from the Home Ministry was some inane statements that, to the hapless victims, sounded hollow, repetitive and impotent, even comic.
Even as recently as last weekend, Patil did not forget to mention that the incidents and casualties in the past four years was much less than those that occurred in the previous four and half years. “Yet, the impression created is that terrorism has increased and not reduced,” he said at the annual conference of police chiefs.
“Even if one incident occurs or one person becomes a casualty, it should cause us concern and should make us alert. However, it should not demoralise us and give wrong information to the uninformed section of the society,” he said.
True, there were a few meetings during which issues like modernisation of police forces and improving the intelligence network was discussed. True states were repeatedly being urged to fill up the burgeoning vacancies in their police forces, to increase their spending on modernising the forces and buy equipment, and to encourage coordination of efforts by various policing agencies.
But these were not able to stop the almost predictable cycle of terror attacks. Instead, his penchant for referring to terrorists and Naxalites as ‘misguided brothers’, his ill-advised equation between Mohammad Afzal and Sarabjeet Singh, his adamant opposition to the promulgation of a tough anti-terror law and denying the same to the state governments, all contributed to the perception that Patil was soft on terror. He came to symbolise everything that was wrong with India’s internal security mechanism.
So much so that he started getting attention for the number of times he was changing clothes on a day when about 30 people had been killed in a coordinated serial bomb blasts in Delhi.
Patil could have resigned — or sacked — after any of the numerous terror attacks in the last three years. But he survived, probably because — as Patil himself mentioned recently — “he had the blessings of the Congress president”.
Unfortunately for him though, the Mumbai attacks just proved to be the last straw on the camel’s back. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remarked at the all-party meeting on Sunday that Mumbai attack was “different” from all the previous terrorist strikes.
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Sonia Gandhi was the one who appointed this Patil for Home Ministry. He was handpicked and not an elected MP. Now Sonia is responsible for not having sacked him earlier!
Bhujbal was a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim the notorious gangster, now well protected by Pakistan and an anchor man for ISI. Further the role of print media and TV including CNN-IBN are to be probed for their sinister role and their underhand dealings in this entire murky episode. If necessary the Government must immediately arrest the Home Minister Shivaraj Patil and Chaggan Bujpal so that investigation agency will have the full freedom to act without any hiccup.
If the Indian Government is really serious about terrorist activity, they must probe the role of two Ministers. Fist one is Shivraj Patil Union Home Minister of India, for his persistant inaction which has an inexplicable pattern. Either Patil is a victim of his pet notion of ideological conundrum of Muslim appeasement or may be being blackmailed by ISI for his murky past. The second one to be investigated is a shady character Chhagan Bhujbal, the public works minister of Maharashtra..It seems, Bhujbal was deliberate in his attempt to use Hemant Kurkure of ATS to go after their cracker savvy Hindu groups so that the real terrorists who arrived though sea will have a freeway without any hindrance. Bhujbal was either visiting or in constant touch with Hemant everyday for the past one month egging Hemant to go after Hindu Group and virtually prevented the Anti-Terrorism Squad to do their normal work.
I do agree with Prof Loknath and expressed this feeling repeatedly. In India, ministersare elected, based on their political leverage, and sad to say that most of them don'thave the least knowledge about the portfolio they handle. The minister of educationmight have been a former farmer, and the minister of health may be a formerbus cleaner. That is the sad side of Indian political system, because in most cases;incompetent people are entrusted with highly responsible jobs.
Ministers in India resign when irreversible damage is done to country and people.The home minister should be an ex military officer[intelligence]or an ex top police official.The politicians simply donot know their subject,most of the times..How long should we wait to get competent ministers?
NSG is an excuting and operative agency which is supposed to execute an operation on Intelligence and minute to minute deatails provided by intelligence to them. Without that this fine force is of only 30 percent effect. If they have to gather their intelligence and make their own assessments, then there is no use having them. One must not forget that it is precisely due to this reason that the force is placed under MHA, so that they are used very effectively by the Intelligence agaencies.Bombay operation was a fire fighting operation without any intelligence. Those who were supoosed to brief and guide, that is ATS did not have anyone to brief the NSG-Three top officers travelling in the same vehicle and got shot together.DGP AN Ray should have figured out the requirement and actied on what NSG will require for operations.Intelligence has always failed us because MK Narayanan has been busy spining "Sadhvi and Purohit" campaign . Hand over Intelligence to army
The Terrorists have crossed the border( Sea) and entere the country.Why Defence Minister, Chief of Armed forces and Coat Guard shying away from their accountability and fixing the entire responsibility on Home Ministry ? Do we mean the internal security agencies like Police and NSG to worry abouth the borders? Why then Army, Airforce, Navy , Coast Guard, Comonders Comeders , Vices and their attachements, Is it for sucking the tax payers money?
Patil, scapegoat or not, must be the weakest and spineless HM we have ever had. That post was once decorated by greats such as Sardar Patel! We have never seen such dawdling and fiddling by a HM before! he waxes eloquent when a people die of a terror attack and is more interested in his wardrobe than his duty! throw him to the dungeons and the keys into the bay of bengal... Put Sonia, Arjun Singh and the rest in the same hole for company!
The HM, CM and Dy CM are the top people who deserve the complete blame for this debacle, but let this not be a whitewash. The second level of command (National Security Advisors, leaders of Organizations such as RAW, IB etc.) should be investigated for criminal negligence. Incompetence is not an excuse!!!!
Mr Deshmukh, have you been sleeping all this time when terror attacks tormented Mumbai? It's more than the terrorists that politicians like you who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent citizens. On the top of it, you come up with the statement that there were no intelligence reports? This shows how irresponsible a Chief Minister you are. Even after the deaths of so many innocent people, how could you even say that THESE TYPES OF INCIDENTS HAPPEN IN BIG CITIES LIKE MUMBAI. Mr. Deshmukh if you have any shame left in you, step down from the CM's seat which is for a leader and not an incapable looser like you who have robbed the Mumbaikers of their safety and security. You are a shame to the entire state and you don’t deserve to be the CM any longer. We want a leader and not a cheat who is sitting on the CM's seat to enjoy it's benefits. It's because of politicians like you that we have lost the defence brave hearts whom you use as a shield to hide behind in crisis.
Let there be complet wirhdrawal of security to all politicians ,let them survive on there own ,let them feel that there political security is in our hand thousans of crore saved on these be spent on police administration
Nobody seems to question the capability of COngress President Sonia Gandhi, would she allow her own house to be protected by a weak person, but she allowed the country to be in the hands of a weak Home minister.The party should hold her accountable for this blunder decision.
Sonia Gandhi is white skinned lady imported from outside and the Indians feel proud to be ruled by whiteskinned people . Besides no congressman is capable of being coming to power without the blessings of Sonia Gandhi. Therefore she is the empress of India and is not acountable to anybody.
Why only Shivraj Patil is being blamed? What about Home Secretary who got extended tenure till 62 years because he gave first son-in-law membership in Delhi Gold Club?
Patil, as the article says, is merely a symbol of all that's rotten in the system. While we criticise our system and say that things need to be changed, perhaps the biggest change needs to come from within each of us, each individual at the micro level. We need to stop fussing each time we are frisked, stop asking the traffic cop on his beat what authority he has to stop us from parking in a no parking zone or entering a no entry. Instead we must ask why the top officials and ministers are so prone to faux pas, why are guns always jumped, why did the NSG have to arrive in BEST buses and not their own transport that would be less visible? Most importantly, we, me included, need to come forward and take charge of our own destinies instead of relying on tottering politcians who are well past retirement age. 300 million in the middle class alone. Is it so impossible to find a few hundred genuine leaders from amongst us or are we all going to be followers for the rest of our lives?
In short this SOB was another corrupt disaster. Good he got the boot.
Shivraj Patil, Vilarao Deshmuk, RR Patil should all be tried for culpable homicide for holding such high offices and not performing their duty resulting int the death of so many people. They should be tried for their stupidity in not averting this disaster
Goodbye Mr.Shivraj Patil, now you can become the internal security minister of 10 Janpath.
It is too late now this man should have resigned long back as he was responsible as the home minister for the secutity of the people. The Congress high commad which selected him and made him as home minister should also take the responsibility for the incidents as every one knows that Shivraj Patil is incompetant and how was he made the home minister of our country which is a very important and sensitive porfolio. The people should not keep quiet they should demand a reply and strict actions for their misdeeds In these four and half years .The people should unite and demand that all the people who were responsible for ignoring the warnings given by the intelligence Dept are punished who ever they might be.
Media should not get carried away with mumbai attack it is temporary distraction and should get its act together in malegaon case. And also try to probe the possibility of sadhvi and purohit's allies involvement in Taj/ Oberoi case. Jai Hind. Bharat mata ki jai, vande matram.
Have you exchanged your back side for your head True Indian speaks through his backside SOB
It has to be seen if the change of guard at home ministry will bring about any change in the security situation. Let us see. I honestly don't beleive that until corruption by the politicians ends this problems will continue.
Shivraj Patil could cling to the post only because he was the favorite of Sonia. This reveals the commitment of Sonia towards India's internal security. Sonia was more interested that a weak politician who does could not threaten her
Let's make it clear.Shivraj Patil is an Idiot.He was busy playing games while the country was burning. I was an ardent supporter of Congress but with this 4 years of (mis)rule , I am shocked and in pain. I will never support congress in my life again. Not that others are better but you can't be worse than Congress. God save us.
Jai congress
There is no doubt that ShivrajPatil had no free hand to decide on issues. *Almost all* the decisions taken were on the basis of POLITICS.When people like Shobha De and former NSA, IB, RAW and such heads explaining how our politicians are taking the nation
Dear Mr. Editor,We need to immediately take the following steps to stall further terror attempts -1. Ban all Madrasas2. Stick RFID on every foreign national's passport3. Hunt for all illegal Bangladeshi migrants, even those who used unlawful means to secure ration cards or voter ids. Sack anybody involved with helping them in this matter. Same should apply to all other hostile neighbours, including Pakistan, Nepal and China4. Put CCTV on BSF camps bordering Bangladesh as it is well known how they receive petty bribes and let people in.5. Bring all the private security agencies under scanner as they twist and bend laws to employ illegal Bangladeshi and Nepalese migrants and help them secure ration cards, voter ids, etc.6. Investigate NGOs and personalities like Arundhati Roy for links with terror outfits and supporting them overtly or covertly. 7. Arrange for anonymous inputs from citizens as people are scared of corrupt cops and officials and would rather not share inform
Dear Mr Editor,We should not try to alienate people.If we take cross section from different communities we can see good and bad people.We should not allow anybody to hurt Integrity of the country by abusing each other when we need to stand united against such nasty terrorisom.We have seen horrible seens after so many "Yathra"s and innocent killings in recent time in Bihar,Explosions in various parts from so many cults.We should not allow any politician to make explotions and take benifits to come up with more hidden agendas.
Patil was extremely lucky to get a ministerial berth despite facing a loss in election - things like this can happen only in India.
Shivraj is just made an escape goat. What about those who are sitting at responsible position and heading the intelligence and security agencies and all such lapses either in information gathering or guarding our costline are done by these lethargic officers and personnel who have made these postings as a way of living the lavish VVIP life and completely overlooked the national interests and kept on minting money from smugglers and even from terror organizations. Why they should not be removed from their posts and be penalized for their lackadisical approaches and style of functioning. The whole system has been corrupt and having income from other sources other than their regular salary has become a fashion and all the corrupt government emloyees are best regarded and enjoy good relations with politicians. Clear the system from these corrupt people who are prejudice