Assam killings

Sir, - The clamour for President's rule in Assam in the wake of the recent violence is immature and guided by political considerations. The need of the hour is a cooperative effort on the part of everyone to see how best the situation can be managed.

In the present political situation, I don't see how the imposition of President's rule is going to help. The administrative machinery would be the same, the security forces would be the same and even a unified command is also in place. There could be a justification for President's rule only in a situation where the State Government itself becomes an impediment to mitigating the situation. Otherwise, security situations are best tackled through an elected government in place even if it is not the best of administrations. This is one of the most important lessons that we have learnt from the Kashmir situation and we do well to keep that in mind.

The Congress perhaps wants the government dismissed because it wants to be seen as a champion of the Hindi-speaking people who have borne the brunt of the recent violence. It probably hopes to benefit electorally from the polarisation of society. The BJP also perhaps sees a gain for itself by similar logic and also because an administration under President's rule becomes for all practical purposes a government of the party in power at the Centre.

So as of now, President's rule is not a solution. The Central Government and the State Government, together with the media and the responsible citizenry, should mount a sincere collaborative effort to stop the violence, promote social amity, punish the culprits and bring the situation back on the rails.

The governments, both at the Centre and in the State, also need to do a lot of work on the intelligence apparatus. This has been one of the biggest failings all these years. A good intelligence machinery can save many law and order situations and can actually mitigate the need for security operations.

Last but not the least, the role of the head of government or party in power in situations of crisis is of paramount importance. It can make a vital difference and even all the difference. Unfortunately, Mr. Mahanta has failed to provide any effective leadership to our society, government or even his party all these years.

Pranjal Das,

Guwahati

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Opinion
Previous : West Asian imbroglio
Next     : A delectable number