Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Speech of Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, At Conference of Chief Ministers On Internal Security

My Cabinet colleagues,

Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani,

Raksha Mantri, Shri George Fernandes,

Finance Minister, Shri Yashwant Sinha,

Information Technology Minister, Shri Pramod Mahajan,

Deputy Chairman,

Planning Commission, Shri K.C. Pant,

Chief Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have gathered today to discuss the prevailing internal security situation and possible ways and means of dealing with serious crime in its various manifestations.

Maintaining law and order is the Constitutional responsibility of State Governments. But, internal security is no longer limited to mere maintenance of law and order. Since the decade of the 80s, the nature and definition of internal security have changed radically.

Somewhere around the early-80s, we were confronted by a challenge that, over the years, has assumed ominous proportion – the challenge of terrorism. Although it surfaced in one State, terrorism has spread its deadly tentacles to other States, assuming an all-India dimension.

The problem of terrorism that we face is engineered, fuelled and executed from across our border : Pakistan has adopted cross-border terrorism as an instrument of State policy to further its hostility towards India.

We also need to bear in mind that cross-border terrorism has been manifesting itself in various diabolical forms and insidious manner.

It ranges from indulging in carnages like the recent killings in Jammu and Kashmir which have left more than a hundred people dead, to using little known groups for disruptive activities like the bomb explosions in churches, to engineering serial bomb blasts like those in Mumbai and Coimbatore, to circulating fake currency notes, to encouraging underworld criminal activity to aiding and abetting insurgency in the North-Eastern States.

Therefore, it is imperative that challenges to internal security should no longer be seen as State-specific problems, but from a national perspective. The changed nature, magnitude and dimension of the threat to our internal security necessitates that both the Centre and the States pool their resources to formulate a national strategy and adopt effective tactics.

Hence, what is called for is a national effort whose success depends on cooperation among State Governments and between the Centre and the States.

Friends, I have mentioned Pakistan’s role in fomenting terrorist violence. Through its various agencies and terrorists schooled in religious extremism, Pakistan has been waging a proxy war against India. Their aim is not confined to Jammu & Kashmir's separation from India; indeed, it is a sinister aim that targets India's unity and integrity.

This proxy war came to a head last year in the form of Pakistan’s aggression in Kargil. Our forces successfully repulsed that aggression, but in their defeat, the propagators of terrorism have become increasingly desperate. There is an attempt to describe this cross-border terrorism as Jehad, but we reject that suggestion: the threat that we face today is nothing but state- sponsored terrorism by our neighbour.

It is a tribute to our open and democratic society’s resilience and our tradition which rejects religious extremism, that social peace has by and large remained unaffected by these disruptive activities. But this in no manner minimises the reality of the threat we face today.

Hence there is neither scope for complacence nor reason to let down our guard. For, the long-term impact of terrorist and disruptive activities are far more worrisome than the immediate impact in the form of loss of lives and property. We should never lose sight of the fact that the ultimate goal of our neighbour is to harm our multi-religious, multi-lingual society and damageour tolerant social fabric.

If I were to list our weaknesses that have proved to be the strength of forces inimical to India’s unity and integrity, our open society and democratic polity, they would be:

Large stretches of porous border that are used for sending in terrorists, arms, drugs and infiltrators schooled in religious extremism;

Inadequate police forces, both in terms of trained manpower and effective equipment which together severely restricts the functioning of primary law enforcing agencies;

Insensitive civic administration that often leaves much to be desired in terms of fulfilling popular aspirations and addressing genuine grievances;

A dilatory criminal justice system and inadequate legal framework that have not only failed to distinguish terrorist crimes from ordinary crimes, but also failed to bring the guilty to book in a fair and swift manner.

We no doubt need to manage our borders in a far better manner. Towards this end we should actively consider ways and means of effectively using the BSF for border management.

The key to effectively facing the threat of terrorism and organised crime, be it insurgency, extortion or extremist political violence, lies in revamping State police forces and upgrading their fighting abilities. We have seen how a highly motivated and committed police force was instrumental in restoring peace to Punjab. Highly trained and motivated criminals and terrorists have easy access to sophisticated weapons, communications systems and related technology, not to mention funds, thanks to their benefactors. On the other hand, our poorly-trained State police forces have to make do with out-dated and outmoded arms and communications equipment.

Our first task, therefore, should be to strengthen the police force in each State so that police personnel have the courage and capability to fight and defeat the forces of terror.

This is no doubt an uphill task. But it can be accomplished if the States pool their resources in creating modern training facilities, setting up an effective inter-State intelligence mechanism and state-of-the-art forensic laboratories.

The Home Minister has urged higher allocation of funds for modernisation of police forces. We will raise it from Rs 200 crore in the last financial year to Rs 1,000 crore every year. I call upon the State Governments to come up with matching funds.

As with our police, our civil administration needs a total makeover. That is the only way to combat social alienation that results from lack of development and non-responsive governance. Alienation of the people, we must remember at all times, provides fertile ground for planting and nurturing disaffection.

I would now like to touch upon an area that requires early attention -- our criminal justice system which over the decades has become rather cumbersome. This, in turn, results in delayed justice and a low rate of conviction. Trials in crimes committed to create large-scale disturbance or wage war against the state go on for years.

To correct the situation, we should consider adopting a comprehensive law: A law that provides for transparent and expeditious means to deal with crimes against the state, crimes which impinge on internal security and crimes to subvert national infrastructure.

In this context, I would like to refer to the proposed Prevention of Terrorism Bill. The Law Commission submitted the draft Bill after widest possible consultations and the draft has been circulated among all States and Union Territories for their comments.

There are two points that I would urge you to bear in mind while considering the draft:

The proposed law incorporates adequate safeguards to ensure there are no violations of human rights;

India is the only country in the world that faces a serious problem of terrorism but does not have an effective anti-terrorism law to deal with the problem.

Simultaneously, we should tone up our investigative machinery through upgradation of skills and acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment. State Governments must also ensure better coordination between investigating and prosecuting agencies.

On its part, the Union Government is prepared to extend all possible help to State Governments in facing every threat to our internal security. We are actively considering augmenting the strength of Central forces and providing them with effective equipment.

We could even consider, with your concurrence, setting up a central agency that would have jurisdiction to fight crimes against the state. These would include acts of sedition, apart from hijacking, cyber crimes and circulation of fake currency.

A lasting solution to isolating, and eliminating, forces inimical to our national interest lies in adopting an imaginative political process. For, only a political initiative can end alienation of the people from the mainstream and strengthen our democratic polity.

Hence, our initiative for a dialogue with anybody who is willing to sit across the table and eschew violence in Jammu and Kashmir. This by no means undermines our determination to fight terrorism.

On the contrary, it underscores our commitment to end the alienation that has come to affect sections of our people in Jammu and Kashmir. With them on our side, we can no doubt defeat external forces in a decisive manner.

I would like to cite here our experience of talks with insurgents in Nagaland. The ceasefire holds in that State and we are hopeful of a resolution in the not too distant future.

For success in our endeavour to ensure that every citizen feels protected and secure, we have to work together as a team with a singular purpose.

I am confident of your collective cooperation and I assure you of the Union Government's assistance. I look forward to this conference coming up with concrete proposals and laying the foundation for similar interaction in future.

Thank you.