The Congress seems to lack the cognitive ability to discernthat toughness in governance cannot be demonstrated only by flash executions ofconvicted terrorists. But that's exactly what it wants to convey through thehanging of Ajmal Kasab in November and Afzal Guru early this morning.
Kasab and Guru were pronounced guilty by the highest courtof the land and their mercy petitions were also rejected by the president. So,the only course left for the government was to hang them. If anything, it is amatter of shame that it took the government so long, especially in the case ofGuru, to gather its wits and carry out what it was legally mandated to do.
In recent AICC conclaves, there has been clamour within theCongress party to show firm resolve to counter terrorism emanating from Islamicfundamentalism. The urgency to give the UPA government an image of a firmregime also emanates from the perceived political threat from the emergence ofNarendra Modi as a decisive and firm leader.
There is nothing wrong if the government in its own wisdomdecides to execute death warrants because that is the rule of law. But thisrule must apply to all and at all times. During the eight years it was draggingits feet on Guru's execution, the UPA government did not tire of telling thecountry how legal processes and procedures take their own time and thatgovernments have no control over the same. Yet, when it wanted to, the sameprocesses moved with lightning speed and the executions were over in a flash.
Playing with fire for political profit is an old Congresspastime. It created a Frankenstein for itself when it opened the locks of theAyodhya temple, feeding the monster of Hindu fundamentalism that led to thedemolition of the Babri mosque. It wanted to extract political mileage throughcommunal politics and ended up getting itself scorched in Uttar Pradesh andputting the country through two decades of misery. Similarly, with the suddenexecutions of Kasab and Afzal, the UPA wants to send a message of toughnessbecause it has been branded as perhaps the most indecisive government ever.
It is a sad day for the country if the only way thegovernment of the day can demonstrate its resoluteness is through execution ofterrorists.
