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WeekendEdition:Indiaaskshowmuchistoomuch
RajdeepSardesai
CNNIBN

Howmanydeathswillittaketillheknows
Thattoomanypeoplehavedied?
Theanswer,myfriend,isblowin'inthewind,
Theanswerisblowin'inthewind
BobDylan(Blowin'intheWind)
Aftera62hourlongoperation,MumbaiwasreclaimedonSaturdayfromthe
terroristswhoheldithostagewiththebloodiestandoneofthemostdaring
operationsinthecountry'shistory,butnotwithoutpayingaprice.
Accordingtotheofficialestimate,187(andcounting)peoplehavebeen
CHANGEWENEED:Willthecountryuniteagainst
terror?RajdeepSardesaiandWeekendEditionpanel
discuss.

killedandthecountryhaslostsomeofitsbestmeninuniform.
MaharashtraAntiTerrorismSquad(ATS)ChiefHemantKarkare,encounter
specialistVijaySalaskar,AdditionalCommissionerofPoliceAshokKamte

andNationalSecurityGuard(NSG)commandoMajorSandeep
Unnikrishnandiedinthelineofdutyasdideightotherpolicemenandcommandos.
Thebloodysiegeof26/11asit'snowbeingcalledisbeingcomparedtoAmerica's9/11,andnotwithoutreason.
MaharashtraDeputyChiefMinisterRRPatil'sclaimthatterroristshadsinisterplanstokillatleast5,000peoplehasaddedto
thefearpsychosis.
Indiaisangryandisdemandinganswers.Itisthebigquestion:CouldmorehavebeendonetopreventtheMumbaimassacre?
Willthecountrycometogether?Howlongwillthecycleofterrorlastandwhatwillittaketoputanendtoit?
WeekendEditionwithRajdeepSardesaidebatedanddiscussedsomeofthosepertinentquestionswithapanelcomprising
IBNLokmateditorNikhilWaglecelebrityandauthorShobhaaDefinancialanalystAbhayAimaformerMumbaipolice
commissionerMNSinghandMP(southMumbai)MilindDeora.
FIGHTBACK!BUTHOW?
Underliningthepopularsentiment,ShobhaaDebeganthedebatewitha"fightback"warcry.Mumbaikarsareburningwith
rageandarelookingforleadershipthatthecityhasspectacularlyfailedtoprovide.MaharashtraChiefMinisterVilasrao
Deshmukhsaystherewasinformationbutnotspecificones.AsifterroristswillcallandinformtheCMaboutthelocationsthey
intendtostrike!Ihaveneverheardsucharidiculousstatement,"shesaid.
DeinsistedheadsmustrollandtheCMandHomeMinisterShivrajPatilmustresignbecauseitwasnotjustMumbaiunder
attack.It'sIndiaunderattack."Let'snotmakeitaregionalproblem.Whatarewewaitingfor?"sheasked.
SMSslike"Dangerdoesn'tcomeonboats,italsocomesfromoneswhogivevotes"arebeingcirculatedacrossmobile
networksandtheInternethasbeenthewitnesstotheoutpouringlikeneverbefore.
AbhayAimaspokeinthecontextof"impotentrage"andsaiditwaseasytoholdhandsandhaveacandlelightvigilortwo,it
wasverydifficulttocontrolwhowasgettingvotedfromwhere."IndiaisalsoMP,UP,Bihar.That'swherethesepeopleget
votedback,"hesaid.
AnangryDealsocalledforabanoncandlelightvigilsandaskednewschannelstonotplayup"inane"soundbytesfrom
"celebritiesmouthingplatitudes"attheseevents.
Ifthere'sangeramongthecitizenry,angerwasalsopalpableatHemantKarkare'sfuneralwheremanypolicemenexpressed
distressatthemannerinwhichpoliticianswerecompromisingthepolice.Butcanthatangertranslateintoaction?Citizens
can'tsurelywieldAK47s.That'sthejobofthepolice.MNSinghagreedtheproblemofterrorismhadbeensobadlypoliticised
thatthenationwasn'ttogetherinthefightagainstit."Wehavelostsomeofourfinestmen.Mumbaipolicehavedonea
remarkablejob.WemustsalutethemandNSG.OneshouldlookatoverhaulingMumbai'spoliceapparatus,"hesaid.
NikhilWaglesaiditwasn'trighttoputtheblamesquarelyonthepoliticians."Thesearepeopleweelect.Wedon'tsupportgood
politicians.Thereisnotcivilsocietyleadershipandthiscountryisleaderless,"hesaid.
MilindDeoratheonlypoliticianontheshowandunderstandablyanswerablerespondedtoWaglebutwascautiousinhis
response."Ihavesimilarreactionslikepeople.Butattitudeof"let'ssacksomeone"lookswejustwantaneasysolution,"he
said.
ButhisargumentdidnotcutmuchicewithDewhoslammeditcompletelysayingthebuckalwaysstopsattheleadershipand
mustinthiscaseaswell."I'vegotcallswherepeopleareaskingofthereshouldbeacivildisobidoencemovementandwe

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mustnovoteasthesepoliticiansdonotdeservetobevotedfor,"shesaid.
AimasaidhewasappalledatMilindDeora'scommentwhileWaglesaidyoungMPslikehimshouldcomeoutandbecomethe
agentsofchange.InfactAimacomparedthecrisistothatofthereactioninfinancialcrisis."IfMerillLynchfails,itsCEO
resignsonmoralgroundsandnotbecausehehasdonesomewrong.Samelogicholds,"hesaid.
Deoraendedthesegmentbyrespondingtootherpaneliststoo."It'ssaidnomatterwhoyouvotefor,thegovernmentalways
getsin.Yes,headsshouldrollbutbeforethatwemustdebateonwhatterrorismmeans.NodoubtthebuckstopsatCM,PM
andhomeministerbutthere'salsoamassivesecurityestablishment.That'swherereformsareneeded,"hesaid.
INDIAIMPAIREDTOHANDLECRISESLIKE26/11
AK47versusarevolver:it'snomatch.WhiletheterroristswhoheldMumbaihostageweresaidtobeequippedwiththelatest
automaticweaponsandammo,theMumbaipolicebattlingthemdidnotevenhaveasmuchasahelmet.NSGcommandos
hadtobeflowninfromDelhi.MNSinghsaidcivilpolicewasnoanswertoterrorism."Thisisthefirsttimethere'sbeena
facetofacecombatbetweenpoliceandterrorists.Forthat,thepolicearenotequipped,"hesaid,addingthestateshouldhave
acommandoforcetoitselftoplugthetimelag.
ShobhaaDecounteredhimandsaidnooneknewwhowasinchargeoftheoperationswhenMumbaiwasunderattack.It
couldalsobeblamedontheskewedprioritylistthattheestablishmentseemstogobynationalsecurityisjustnottheirpriority
itwouldseem.Dealsoblameditoncorruptioninpoliceforceandcalledpolicemen"politicalstooges".
Butwhowillprovidetheleadership?Waglesaidtherewasnoleaderandnoanswereither.Hesaidhefelthelpless."TheChief
Ministerdidnotevenknowhowmanyterroristswerethereinall!Wedon'tevenhaveafigureandourforceswerefightingthe
terroristsforthepast60hours!"hesaid.
Deorasaidhefeltfrustratedtoo,beingpeople'srepresentativesandyetnothavinganyexecutivepowers.Dequestioned
Deora'sargumentandsaiditwastantamounttosaying,"unlessyoucanlookafteryourself,sorrywecan'tdomuch".
Aimaproposedacorporatestylefunctioningforthegovernment."WhentheHomeMinistersayshe'llsetupATS,askhimthe
targetdates.Askhimwhenhe'lldeliver.MilindDeorashouldriseabovepartylinesanddothat.He'llbecomeagreatpolitician
then,"hesaid.
MNSinghstressedthepoliceforcewasbeingheldhostagetopoliticalinterestsandtheestablishmentwasinasiegelike
situation.Waglesaidthesepointsweremaden1993aswellandquestionedastowhythesechangesweren'tincorporated
thattimeitself.
WAKEUP,ITSTOOLATEALREADY
ThisattacktookplaceinsouthDelhi,perhapsthecountry'sposhestarea.Whilethepreviousattacksliketheonein
Ghatkopar,alowincomeareahappenedwith"others",thisoneseemstohavehit"home",manywouldsay."Ifthisdoesn't
wakeuptheelite,nothingeverwill.Butlet'snotmakeitacastething.It'sanattackonthecountry,"shesaid,adding,"Today
theytargetediconicmonuments,tomorrowtheymaytargeticonicpeopleallbecauseoursecuritysystemsarelax.Wedon't
evenbothertocheckthecredentialsofpeoplewhoworkforus,"sheargued.
Soisthequintessential chaltahai(takeiteasy)attituderesponsible?The"spiritofthecity"argumentsaremadeandthen,life
justmoveson.WhileAmericaputitsacttogetherafterthemajorintelligencelapseof9/11evenifitmeantcurbingindividual
freedomsMNSinghfeltitcouldnothappeninIndiaduetovotebankpolitics."Ihopepeoplewhoareagainstantiterrorism
lawswillcometogether,"hesaid.
Deoraacceptedterrorismneededtobedealtwithbyrisingabovepartylinesandalsoabovereligiousidentities.Healso
acceptedtheidealmannerinwhichAmericadealtwithit."Focusondepoliticisngterrorismdebate.AtMumbailevel,Ido
believethatasimplesolutionwouldbedirectelectionofMayorbythecitypeople.Thiswillchangecity'spoliticsofthecity.
Alsoindividualsmustalsoberesponsibleforthemselves,"hesaid.
ButWaglesaidhopingMumbaiwouldbecomeacitystatewasnotpossiblebutgoodpoeplemustcometogetherandpush
withthegovernmentanddemandaHomelandSecuritykindofasetup.
BothDeandWaglecondemnedinstrongestwordsthepoliticalopportunismwhichwasatdisplaywhenNarendraModicame
toMumbai.Fewdaysago,hecriticisedHemantKarkareforprobingintoHinduterrorangleintheMalegaonprobeandon
FridayheofferedmoneytohiswidowandpaidhomagetohimsimplybecausehediedfightingIslamicterrorists.
UNITEDWESTAND
ShobhaaDesaidMumbaisufferedfromcollectiveamnesiaanditislikelythatareaslikenorthMumbaimayforgetorremain
untouchedbytheenormityoftheattack.WaglesaidpeopleofMumbaiwerereadytofightbackbutdon'tknowwhattodo.
"Peopleareangrybutdon'tknowwhattodo.Justtellthemandtheywillcomeoutanddoit.Theywantanoncorruptleader,"
hesaid.
MNSinghpolicepeoplecooperationwasnecessarybutcivilsocietycannotfightterrorismlikethis."PeopleareangryandI
thinkwe'vemadetoomuchofthecity'sresilience.Wemuststopthistamashaoftalkingaboutthespiritofthecity,"hesaid.
AimasaidiftherecouldbeanXoraYvotebank,whycouldn'ttherebeavotebankofevolvedcitizenswantingchange?"Once
youmakeitsubstantialenoughforittofightthepowersthatbe,itcouldmakeadifference,"hesaid.
Deoraconcludedthedebatebysayingthattherootofterrorismwasillsentimentsagainsteachothers'community."Wemust
askourselvesbeforewegotoacommunitydoweharbourbandsentimentsagainstacommunity?Arewebiased?"heasked.

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Thefinalwordsthatcameoutoftheshowwere:Enoughisenough.Let'sfightback.

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