No war: Home Min

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No war: Home Min

Union Home P Chidambaram remembering the fateful day of November 26, 2008 said that it is time for India to go beyond the grief and pain of Mumbai terror attacks. Talking to CNN-IBN's Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai, the minister said India believes in Mahatma Gandhi and therefore there is no place for violence in the country. He assured that India is better prepared to tackle terrorism and said he is proud the way Kasab's trial is going on in the court.

Here is an excerpt of the interview -

Rajdeep Sardesai: The first big question is that have we learnt our lessons from 26/11? When I say ‘we’ I mean both the political establishment and civil society.

P Chidambaram: I think some of us have learnt many lessons and many of us have learnt some lessons. But I believe that sooner or later we all will learn all the lessons that have to be learnt.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Today in many of your speeches you were admitting that the equipments that our police force have today is still not good enough. Will you admit this on this show?

P Chidambaram: No, I don’t agree. It is better than what we had a year ago. It will be better six months from today and even better 12 months from today. Rome was not built in a day. I had to deal with cumulative neglect and we are dealing with it. States are dealing with it.

Rajdeep Sardesai: The part of the problem is this battle that the states are dealing with it. You as a Home Minister receive a lot of praise for finally being a tough minister but you have to deal with state home ministers and governments. But not everyone is convinced, for example the Maharashtra government is as committed as you are. Is this the way we will win our battle against terror?

P Chidambaram: That is not a problem. That is a fact that we need to taken into account that are we a unitary state or a federal state. We are a federal state and in a federal state there are certain powers with the Centre, certain with the state government and I think we have found a way in which the state and the Centre can work together at least in matters of internal security. I think the Maharashtra government has done quite a bit though we were interrupted by the elections in between and believe me in six to 12 months from today they will be better.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Shouldn’t the RD Pradhan report be made public?

P Chidambaram: It should be and it will be. I have seen the RD Pradhan committee and it has no startling conclusion. It is simply a report on the way the police worked on that day, the practical problem the police faced and many of the issues have been addressed and I am quite confident that the RD Pradhan report will be soon made public.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Why doesn’t the Government have the courage to ‘isolate’ Pakistan and cut off relations – bilateral, cultural, economic and diplomatic? (IBNLive question)

P Chidambaram: War is not the option in the 21st century. India and Pakistan cannot go to war on every issue. Two countries who will be neighbours forever shouldn’t think of getting into a war.

Rajdeep Sardesai: You have been tough with dossiers by giving evidences to Pakistan but at the end of the day Pakistan hasn’t arrested Hafiz Saeed. Are you disappointed with what Pakistan has done or were you cynical enough to believe that they would never do much?

P Chidambaram: I am not satisfied with what Pakistan has done or has been doing.

Rajdeep Sardesai: What is your answer to those who think that Kasab’s trial has taken much too long? One year after the trial continues Kasab can now go to the High Courts, Supreme Court and then he will file a mercy petition with the Union Home Ministry which will lie in the list of mercy petitions. It could take years before any action is taken against him..

P Chidambaram: I am proud of the fact that we are a country where there is a rule of law and we don’t try Kasab in a kangaroo court and hang him overnight as they do in some other countries. A murder trial will take time and in Kasab’s case believe me it has been fast tracked as all the prosecution witnesses I believe have been examined. That is a remarkable achievement and I compliment that. I think Kasab’s trial shows India into great light that it is a country, which regardless of the great pain it suffers, puts a terrorist into an open fair trial.

Rajdeep Sardesai: The citizens are still disconnected from the police, from the entire security apparatus. They are still fearful of going to the police station. Will this change?

P Chidambaram: A citizen must not be fearful to go to the police. He must learn to respect the police and the police must learn to deal with the citizens. The citizens are the masters. Attitudinal changes are required from both the sides. We need to remember that the policemen come from the same stock from where you and I come.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Our constables fight AK47s with lathis, yet we spent Rs 31 crore on Kasab’s trial. What is your take on this? (IBNLive question)

P Chidambaram: It is a completely misplaced criticism. I can’t confirm that Rs 31 crore was spent on Kasab’s trial. But that is not the point. Kasab was the sole terrorist whom we arrested as of the 10 terrorists nine were killed that day. He is a very important catch. He is the main lead which made Pakistan admit that the terrorists and masterminds were Pakistanis and forced Pakistan to start the trial. If Kasab was also killed Pakistan will be in a state of complete denial. So, Kasab has to be protected and tried.

Rajdeep Sardesai: After 9/11, America fundamentally changed and there hasn’t been another 9/11 in their country. Can you say with any assurance that this country will not face another 26/11?

P Chidambaram: I asked this question to my American interlocutors and they could not say that either. After 26/11 there hasn’t been an attack on India but how can anyone say that there won’t be another attack. All I can say to the people of India is that we are better prepared than what we were a year ago and we will be better prepared a year from today. We are more competent, have more capacity and are more confident. However, if there will be an attack I think we will be able to respond more decisively.

Rajdeep Sardesai: If you have to say the three achievements of the Government since 26/11, what will you say?

P Chidambaram: The fact that there has not been a 26/11-kind of attack on India. This is a sort of achievement because the vulnerability of the India given our geo-political situation remains as high as it was a year ago. Secondly, I think most of the states are now more prompt in responding to our suggestions and I think the police force in the states is much better in terms of the capacity to fight a terrorist. And third, which I think is the most important; we have been able to accomplish a more coordinated intelligence sharing in a matter of 12 months. The US told me that they were able to accomplish such kind of intelligence sharing in about 36 months.

Rajdeep Sardesai: One year from now, will we all forget our lessons from 26/11?

P Chidambaram: You may forget but I won’t forget. I live with it everyday and therefore I will never forget it. Neither will I forget my responsibility to deal with the intelligence reports that come everyday. And therefore my successors, if they are conscientious ministers as I believe them to be, I am sure they’ll learn to deal with such situations.

Rajdeep Sardesai: What is the one message you want to give to the people of India today?

P Chidambaram: My message is that we should go beyond 26/11, fear, grief and mourning, paying homage to those who lost their live that day and should reach a point where we can say that we have the confidence and the capacity to face any adversaries and overcome any threat. Beyond this I want to say that this is the land of Gandhiji in thought, word and deed. Each of us from law-abiding citizens to the extremists must come around and shed violence. There is no place for violence in thought, word and deed in India.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Those were the fine words from you. Let us hope that the people of India imbibe them, the idea of India survives and we go beyond 26/11.