|
|
|
|
|
| HOME | NEWS | DEAR REDIFF | |||
|
COMMENTARY
|
|
|
E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 12:25:30 PDT It is excellent. Keep it up. I don't know why can't we see the ominous portents in Vajpayee's activities. Can't we see another Hitler in the horizon. His party is already a barbaric party much similar to the Nazis. They have converted Hinduism into some form of Zionism. They have equated national pride to Hindutva just as Hitler thought of their Aryan heritage. I don't know where our country is going. The only thing remaining is a war with Pakistan or China. Let us all rejoice even then. Even if there are no clothes, no food, dark future -- we will dance and burst crackers. Let sadhus dance with trishuls, it is the time of barbarians in India. Sriganesh
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 01:05:11 -0500 "Mr Vajpayee, did it finally take a thermonuclear explosion to blast Jayalalitha out of your hair?" The article shows a complete pro-Communist trend. It is easy to say that one is a proud Indian. But what does it mean in reality? It's true that India was and is jubiliant after our achievements in the nuclear area. Now, just to be different from others one doesn't have to derogate this nationalistic situation. I am appalled at the amount of faith you have in China. I remember the warnings Shri Vallabhbhai Patel gave Pandit Nehru on the possiblity of the Chinese agression and Nehru shaking it off with his 'Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai' slogans. Then the Indo-China war took place in 1962. Now the question is "Why the bomb, which can kill 1000s?" You tell me, why does one celebrate after winning a war. Why don't the leaders just mourn the enemy's death saying, "Alas! so many people have died and the victory was a shame." After the Iraq war did America say it? No! Does Pakistan say, "Thousands of Hindus killed in Kashmir" is a shame for Pakistan in its proxy war with India. Can one Indian nuke be a deterrent to a 1,000 Chinese nukes? Yes it will be my friend. The bomb will be a surety that the Chinese will not aid the Pakis in an eventual war, with this terrorist country called Pakistan. The BOMB is our only foundation based on which we can issue strong signals to Pakistan to back off from our territory (Kashmir). Aren't we seeing these warnings coming through George Fernandes, L K Advani and Dr Farooq Abdullah? Your question is "why in 1996." That's because the problem of terrorism existed then. But then the BJP, the only patriotic party was voted out. So the other governments did not even bother to take this bold step. Yes. Nukes can cause mass destruction. But at the same time, if these manufactured, yet unused nukes, can fortify our borders, then as a true Indian, as all the communists feel that they are, shouldn't you wholeheartedly support the BOMB. What our scientists have achieved is also a national achievement and we should be proud of them. The BJP has been a key factor in achieving this. And all this has been achieved even with Jayalalitha creating problems, with her anti national approaches. Yes, we are a country where Mahatma Gandhi and Gautam Buddha were born. BUT at the same time, we have also seen Bhagwan Krishna and Shri Ram and Shri Guru Govind Singh who actually went to war with the enemies and encouraged keeping weapons to protect the nation. Jai Hind. Prashant Mavinkurve
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 13:31:35 +0800 I am one of the ardent readers of your articles -- be it cricket or social issues. I like the Indian spirit in your articles and being one I enjoy and enlighten myself through your articles. I am one of those Indians who felt euphoric on the news that we can demonstrate our strengths in the areas, which were hitherto found in few countries. Well if this was done only to shy away from domestic politics (which is the picture painted in most of the foreign media), I am truly ashamed to note that our leaders in power have back stabbed us. No actions can set right this tragedy, which has earned a very bad reputation among other countries. Shankar
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 21:27:53 -0700 This is in response to Prem's column, "Mr Vajpayee, did it finally take a thermonuclear explosion to blast Jayalalitha out of your hair?" I am glad that someone is talking sense amidst all this euphoria over our nuclear prowess. It is really unfortunate that we chose this path to show our power when we have the ability to prove ourselves by several different means. I wish our leaders had shown more sense of responsibility by not imitating the West. Pradeep
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 00:04:49 -0700 Great article. Bravo Prem. You could see the hidden agenda behind the nuke test. It was not for the country's security, but the government's security and adventurism. Keep it up. Sanjar Alam
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 21:06:09 -0400 It is indeed sad that he has ventured into things that he does not know an iota about. Stick to cricket instead of criticising the one positive step that the BJP government has taken.
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 17:44:05 -0700 It is sad to see such shortsighted views coming from Prem Panicker, a person related to sports. I think his views stem more from an anti-BJP mindset than analysing the long term effects of the nuke tests. Immediate threat from China may not be the only (or real) reason for the tests, but one has to see the tests in the backdrop of the China-Pak nexus and US's attitude towards it; India's long term security interests; India's 24 years of self declared moratorium on nukes and their results; and ... the list goes on. Even if the domestic political scenario was 20% of a factor in Vajpayee's decision to give the tests a green light, the outcome is going to be good for India in the long run. I do not understand why Prem is ignoring the tests benefits to India just because it is going to benefit the BJP also to some extent. Prem's attitude is a typical Indian attitude in which one's actions, and behaviour is determined by what neighbours and people want it to be and not what one thinks is right for oneself. Parveen
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:46:27 -0700 You have some interesting discussion in this article and I enjoyed reading it. To your question as to 'Did we need to conduct N-tests?" We can do a lot of debate about it and quite honestly, by the end of the day, everybody will go home each adhereing to their philosophies. There are however, a few points I will throw in for more thoughts. 1. US is now believed to be aiding China through transfer of missile technology. 2. Sino-Paks are going bhai-bhai over the nuclear transfer of technology. 3. The US has about 10,000 nuclear war heads pointed at the world and in total there are about 22,000 nukes sitting ready without any disarmament programme. 4. Pakis are training militants who seem more than happy chopping off Hindus in Kashmir. 5. US takes upon itself in a big brother role and dictates terms to everybody. 6. Nobody, for one reason or another, give a s**t about India's internal or foreign policy. Now, is it worth exploding the nukes at Pokhran? In my opinion (different from a lot others) -- yes. However, India should now strive to match economic perspectives with defence developments, otherwise it will be futile. I hope our politicians and people realise this and start to work for a new India.
Venkat
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 19:41:08 -0400 I have been following the developments in the nuclear arena very carefully, over the last few years. As such I may be able to answer some of the sincere questions raised in your article. I am a student in the United States but I have an interest in International Relations. I am a regular participant in dicussions at the Bharat Rakshak Forum, and well acquainted as such with these issues, as well as the views of various analysts, including Tim Hoyt, a good friend of mine who was recently interviewed by Rediff. Anyway, about the motive behinds the tests: There was first the fact that the BJP had promised to 're-evaluate the nuclear option' as per its manifesto and to decide whether or not to deploy nuclear weapons. There was also the question of India's security concerns. Pakistan has a very well developed nuclear weapon and with the Ghauri, an IRBM capable of hitting almost every major Indian city, with a 700 kg warhead. It is rather common knowledge in defence circles that Pakistan obtained the design for the device used in the 6th Chinese nuclear test. A fission device which could easily be modified to weigh in at less than 700 kgs ... ie: it could be carried aboard Ghauri. There are also unconfirmed reports that Pakistan carried out a nuclear test at Lop Nur, number 40 in China's sequence of tests. It was of a 40KT fission device or even a boosted fission device. All India had were untested designs. In comparison the 1974 device was quite primitive in nature. Heaven forbid, if India were to go to war with China or Pakistan for all that Pakistan knew, or China, all India had was a simple fission device that could be carried in by, say a Tu-142 Badger, of which India has a few, all used for Naval recon at the moment. We had no tested tactical nukes, or a thermonuclear device for assuring what is rightfully called MAD. With these five tests, India has successfully tinkered around with minituarisation, and a double core strategic thermonuclear device, a 'city buster.' What the Indian tests have achieved for India, apart from the negative impact of sanctions at least, is to signal to Pakistan to tone down its bluster over Kashmir and scale back its involvement there. Kashmir requires a political solution, no amount of nukes will help there -- but with these nuke tests a political solution seems just that much closer. As for China. The Chinese are a pragmatic and civilised people and excellent practicioners of realpolitik. China went to war with India in 1962 for long term strategic interests, it could be argued. China did not like the fact that India, a smaller nation, was taking her 'rightful role' of, if not world leadership, then at least of leadership of the IIIrd World. The Indo-China War of 1962 signalled to the world that for all of India's bluster it was China that was the major power in Asia, and its rising star. Fast forwarding to 1996 -- China's role as the 'Asian Superpower' has been cemented. She has Asia's largest armed forces, the only nation in Asia, apart from Russia of course, to openly deploy nukes, and was Asia's best performing economy soon to eclipse even Japan, at least in terms of size. Where does this leave India? Nowhere really. The West is pushing India to sign the CTBT. China is aiding and abetting Pakistan and talking peace with India, and this is important, on her terms. Chinese M-11's had landed up in Sargodha, Chinese designers were working hard on the FC-1, a cheap fighter bomber to be produced jointly by Pakistan and China, with capabilities only second to the F-16. 1996 was the right time to test nukes, or even earlier in 1995 -- Narasimha Rao backed down though under US threats. That the BJP was willing to test nukes even in its 13 day period in office shows that it had what it takes to do what is in India's best interests. India was being marginalised. In the vision of the Asia that China held, India was to be a strong regional power, hemmed in by a Chinese supported Pakistan and a strong Chinese presence in Myanmar. China and India, in the present global framework, can never be allies. We are natural rivals, we compete for the same markets and over the same resources. This of course leaves India at a disadvantage at the moment, but that is the reality of things. You speak of Jiang Zemin offering peaceful overtures in 1996. Was the deployment of nuclear missiles in Tibet in the same year, and targetted at Indian cities a peaceful development? No. China wants peace true, but peace at her terms. In the talks involving the border dispute, the Chinese refused to talk about Tibet or China vacating Aksai Chin. Instead they talked of withdrawing troops from the border, knowing full well that it would be far more difficult for India to redeploy in strength, than it would be for China since China has built an excellent road network in Tibet allowing for rapid deployment. In short what China asked for was for India to go back to the pre-1962 policy of forward deployment, which eventually cost India that war. So if we wanted peace it was to be at their mercy. What is suprising here that inspite of the deep sense of disquiet among the armed forces, the then UF government seemed ready to go along with it. India wants peace, but on mutually acceptable terms. These nuclear tests come as a signal to the Chinese, that India is serious about her security and wants peace, but on acceptable terms. About the timing of the tests helping the BJP, I have to remind you that the decision to test was given thirty days before the tests themselves, and not on the spur of the monent. The tests were designed for India to gather information on nuclear weapons applications. If it was a completely political decision, the BJP government could have asked DRDO to put a nuke down a borehole and test, immediately, or perhaps before the upcoming session of the Budget. There is the fact that the CTBT was to be applied in 1999, India had to show her cards and fast. We had to test before CTBT came into being or the international condemnation would have been even stronger. Ideally, we should have tested the entire range of weapons in 1974, or failing that in 1995 or 96. But we had to do that before 99. And George Fernandes would have known about the tests. His statements calling China, 'Our number one threat' may be seen as short sighted, but in terms of Machiavellian intrigue I have to congratulate the Indian Government on a job well done. They deflected attention somewhat from India to China. Something which may seem foolish at first glance but given China's objectives in the region, one would have to ask, what more can they do. The five people who would have known about the tests for certain would be Vajpayee, Advani, Chidambaran (AEC) Abdul Kalam, and George Fernandes, along with perhaps the COAS (Chief or Army Staff). Even K Raghunath, the foreign secretary, had no inkling of the tests. If the tests benefitted the BJP politically, I say all the more power to them, for they also helped India's security immeasurably. If an action by the government of the day is in India's interests and at the same time helps that party, I don't see the reason to complain, even if the party was BJP, Congress, or even the RJD. And India will not have 'a nuke' but a sizeable arsenal of them. India has enough plutonium for a large quantity of nukes and triggers for thermo nukes. As much as 200, estimates Jane's. This is comparable to the Chinese arsenal of 400 nukes, most of them tactical, and a large chunk, about 20 or so aimed at the US. The Indian government foresees a requirement for as many as 20 Agnis tipped with city busters (thermo nukes) by 2000. This is comparable to the 45 or so IRBMS that China possesses, some of which are aimed at Indian cities. We may have assured MAD, but as the West will tell, being under the umbrella, and more firmly so than in 1974, is better than being out in the fiery rain. I respect your patriotism Prem, and I hope my short post will help you better understand the realities of India's position. Prasenjit Medhi
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:26:34 -0700 The BJP government says that we will never be the first to use nuclear weapons. Yet, barely a day later, Advani claims that Pakistan will be dealt with firmly. Like your column states, the decisions that this government makes are not exactly transparent. There is more than a slight chance that they are being taken to further the BJP's cause rather than the country's. Imagine this. Your taxi driver takes you through a questionable neighbourhood. To top that, he's a bad driver. And if that isn't bad enough, his intentions are doubtful. How would that make you feel? Can we not use this as an analogy to Pokharan-II? I'm left feeling very uneasy by the whole thing. Can we trust the BJP to make a calm and rational decision, that is the question. Sadly, my answer will be "No, we can't." Jagannath Moorthy
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 19:17:01 -0400 I did not even read the whole thing. It was enough for me to read this anti-Indian, commie, China-sympathiser's first few paragraphs to ask myself the question: "How many nuclear explosions will it take to blast these anti-Indian, Hindu hating, leftist fantatics out of our hair?"
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:02:09 -0700 Don't you think you are wasting your time here, telling a nation that is going on a jingoistic ride to use its head. It's adrenaline you are up against man. Tell our Indian people to live together in harmony, they'll call you a crazy liberal. Tell them to go break a mosque and knock off a few minortities, they'll call you a patriot. That is the sorry state of the nation. Fizal
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:10:18 -0700 Really disturbing article. Really, one does tend to lose focus in all this jingoistic fervour. I am indeed, very proud of the nuclear blasts and will remain so. I think a statement has been made. It has united the country and I think, given the government an opportunity to channelise the energies of the masses. But maybe the government should really cut down on the anti-Chinese propaganda. I do think it is time for the government to act wisely and for our "foremost diplomat" to strut his stuff. There is one thing that I would like to point out though and I do hope that Prem will respond. Indians had once before trusted the Chinese; what with Pandit Nehru and the Panchsheel and what did we get. Our trust was betrayed. Do you still feel the same way about the Chinese overtures given this past that our two countries share?
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:45:32 -0700 Much as I respect you more than the other anti-anything-BJP-does guys like Dilip and Pritish, I choose to differ with you on this one. All the facts you have presented about China going 'soft' on India don't cut any ice with me. China is known to practise this two-faced diplomacy. Smile on the face and sinister motives in the heart. The treaties they have signed are not the real indicators of their motives. The proxy war they are carrying on out in the North-East, their ridiculous claim that they 'own' Arunachal Pradesh are. Have you read their recent statement about India occupying their 90,000 miles practising territorial agression? Don't you remember how they broke the famous Panchasheel Accord they signed? As far as nuclear deterrent goes, stress is on deterrent. You can't argue with a country like 'Tibet liberating' China or our 'friendly neighbourhood country' Pakistan, if you don't have nukes, *and* if they do. The decision to conduct nuclear tests was taken way back in early April. Ergo! It was not meant to bludgeon Jayalalitha into submission. 'My patriotism is better than your patriotism' line is really ridiculous. Are you going to demand next that all our military strategies should be put to a public vote before they are carried out? Let's face it. Some interests of the country are better served if secrecy is maintained regarding certain issues. I liked your articles on cricket much better. Hopefully, you will soon perceive the difference between patriotism and jingoism. Murali Chari
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 17:38:50 -0500 I hope most Indians get to read this article and think about it with a level head. Radhika
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 18:27:18 -0400 The author has completely ignored that the CTBT was going to be effective in 1998, and it would have been more difficult for India to do any more tests. The fact that India conducted five tests and not one, shows that India has no internal political compulsion to take this decision. Why five tests if BJP wants to win the next general election?? Only one could have sufficed. How many Indians out of 90% approving the BJP's stand on the test know the difference between an atom bomb and hydrogen bomb. One fission device with 30 kiloton would have sufficed to make the Indian public happy and win the next election. Thus, the reason five tests of various sizes are conducted is because political leadership clearly felt that time is running out of India's hand, and after CTBT becomes effective it will be more tough to do further tests. Then why did the UF not take that decision? Because they did not have guts. Simple. It is a matter of coincedence that it helped BJP to improve their image.
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 14:58:12 -0700 (PDT) Let me begin by saying that I supported India's nuclear testing this past week. However, this article was really thought-provoking. Prem Panicker seems to have done some fresh thinking. But, how does he explain Dr Abdul Kalam's statement that the government's permission to conduct the blasts was given 30 days before May 11th? Was the political situation in the second week of April as "desperate" from Vajpayee's view-point as it became (courtesy Jayalalitha) in the second week of May? (Especially as Prem says that till May 10, JJ ruled the front pages. Would love to hear about this from Prem!) Another thing is the India-China's "buddy buddy" bent to the article. Wasn't it in early 1960's that Nehru was walking around saying Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai to all and sundry? I think it is a bit naive to think that China was becoming more friendly with India, and increasingly against the US loving Pakistan. Recent military assistance to Pakistan is just one proof. If anything, China would be better off with a India-Pak standoff establishing China as the numero uno in Asia. Which is, I believe, the reason that China is supporting Pakistan militarily. In any case, would love to hear more about this from Prem, with more illustrations. Das
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 14:33:34 -0700 (PDT) I feel Prem's article (full 8 printed pages) misses out several important points. Immediately after the tests, several distinguished defence analysts explained the threat perceptions to India and the need for the tests. According to Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, 'In matters of defence, the country has to draw strategy for the worst case scenario.' Yet, Prem goes on to explain the benevolent policies of China to reduce the tension in the subcontinent. Kindly consider following facts in respect to China: 1.China has been increasing its nuclear arsenal and conducted a test as late as in 1996. It has positioned its missiles in Tibet which cover all big Indian cities. 2. China has been equipping Pakistan with nuclear capability. 3. India has a border dispute with China and the latter claims its right on some of Indian land. Can we ignore the fact that Pakistan is India's enemy and China being a big country in the region is a natural rival? The fact that all the big and powerful nations of the world have nuclear weapons shows that they have a tremendous psychological impact on the potential enemy. Nuclear capabilty is just a pronouncement of this psychological strength. History tells us that any meaningful friendship can develop only between powerful countries, and a week nation (both economic and military) gains no respect. There is no wonder that India's self-imposed ban on nuclear tests got hardly any recognition on the international area. Also, excercising nuclear option does not stop the country from becoming economically strong. Pandit Nehru believed China blindly and repented. Furthermore, several distinguished diplomats, army chiefs and defence analysts have welcomed the move and even opined that the same should have been carried out much before. Even former prime ministers V P Singh and I K Gujral have endorsed the decision. The fact that Mr Gujral, whose understanding of world affairs cannot be doubted, has come out as a vocal supporter of the tests should convince the wisdom of the government. In fact, many Americans feel that a strong India (equipped with nuclear capability) will be able to effectively check Communist China, and contribute to the peace and stability in the region. Finally, I do not understand why China should have any objection in India going nuclear when it already has that capability. Prem should not question the intentions of the present government. Any decision taken in national interest should be appreciated irrespective of who takes it. Please do not apply your prejudiced views about any party on this issue.
Dr Sunil Kumar
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 13:31:05 -0700 I am not convinced with your preoccupied thoughts about the timing of the blast. You contradicted your perception, if the BJP wanted to do the tests in 1996, was Jayalalitha any issue then? How come you justify it now as a result of Jayalalitha's tango. The reason is very simple. The BJP knew then as well as now that China was getting stronger, also about the Pak-China nuclear axis. The situation has not changed much since 1996. It is evident from the recent Ghauri missile. With these clear statements I am convinced the BJP has done a right thing though little late. I am sure Mr Panicker ignored the truth in the ulogical praise of TRUSTWORTHY China. No party can conduct a blast with such planning and secrecy just for some political gains. Sorry Mr Panicker, you disappointed me this time.
Sunil Ganu
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 13:51:17 -0700 I totally agree with Prem's viewpoint. Vajpayee and BJP have succesfully managed to distract people from the real economic and social issues -- managed to sidetrack his distracters like Jayalalitha with the nuclear explosions. He has sacrificed the good of the country for narrow political gains. Vajpayee is playing games with people's minds trying to create an atmosphere of paranoia and xenophobia among the electorate. Hopefully the reality will sink in the people and they can see through the games that the BJP is playing. Sandeep
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 13:56:04 -0700 In your article, you said that BJP was ready to conduct nuclear tests when it was in power in 1996. And you also know that the BJP had it in their manifesto to go nuclear. And at the end you say that BJP has detonated the bombs to shut Jayalalitha out. Which one is to be believed? And which one is to be ignored? I guess you are trying to give another line-of-view to this incident. If so, I appreciate the effort but not your point. The BJP would anyway have conducted the tests. May be the present instability triggered it well ahead of its planned time. I am not sure how much of strategic and preparatory work was required to conduct the tests. If this is something more than one-and-a-half months, you cannot say it's a political decision for the previous government was a non-BJP one. Regarding the fact that the statements are made by Pramod Mahajan and the defence minister's role has been minimal at least in public since the tests -- I agree that the whole thing is the BJP's idea and not that of the other political parties. If the BJP wanted to take its allies into confidence before conducting the tests, it could have been a major failure what with the ghetto-like political parties today. And if it had failed and that information leaked out, who knows you might have said that "nuclear capability is one of our strengths and BJP has fizzled the only thing out... Vajpayee stooped to Jayalalitha who opposed the tests because the Karunanidhi government was not sacked. The prime minister has defied expectations and let the people down...". Almost no other party is interested or has a clue on how to manage the country's foreign policy and internal security. The situation is highly entropic with each one bothered about how to sack Opposition governments, file corruption cases etc. In this context, the sweet, idealistic definitions like, "What is democracy," "What are the parliamentary processes" etc that you are mentioning are irrelevant. All the political parties are today responding to these tests only after gauging the national mood. They themselves are void. Now tell me if the BJP should take this silly band of clowns into consideration and hold parleys, form new coordination committees blah blah blah... before conducting the tests? The tests have given the BJP an opportunity to solve a number of problems, not all, at a single stroke. That it was conducted to silence the internal bickerings alone is not correct. But yes, it does shut them up, at least temporarily. And is that not something welcome? Or you like the country held ransom day-after-day by Amma and other cohorts? Today we, as the people of India, have have become nuclear (individualistic) in attitude. We don't have leaders with vision, parties with progressive ideas. We are a confused lot looking for some kind of stability. These nuclear tests have overcome those and brought a sense of belonging among us. This won't fix all the problems but it gives us a chance to. Today we are in a position of strength. What is necessary is to pursue these policies with the same aggressive stand and protect the interests of our country. Instead of viewing this event as just something to strengthen defence, avoid troubles from allies of the BJP etc, this event should be used as an excellent opportunity to bring national attention on how to solve various other issues that are troubling the nation. In this regard, good analysts and writers like you and sites like www.rediff.com can do a lot to generate a national debate and awareness in working towards some constructive solutions. But instead I see some academic skill and a tinge of pessimism hurled out in criticising the BJP for whatever little political stability it has achieved. Ramprasad
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:59:49 -0400 Thanks for being a voice of reason and sanity. And thanks for putting this whole mess in perspective. And to think that your fellow columnist Varsha Bhosle even suggested, if only jokingly, that India should have done the tests on Islamabad, is scary to say the least. May be she knows something none of us know, especially after today's news where Advani has warned Pakistan about Kashmir. I mean a party supported by people who want to carry a pot of sand from Pokhran is capable of anything I'd guess.
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:01:44 -0400 I love your cricket commentary and also love your political analysis and articles, for they always present a different angle -- one that is not very common with a touch of emotion and eloquence. You also fill your articles with compelling facts and logic. And I tend to agree with your view point most of the time, almost always until now... But, I beg to differ with you now. For you seem to have been compelled to write what nobody else is writing. It is always easy for people to justify their position by hiding behind 'I love Peace,' 'I am all for secularism' kind of statements. India's nuclear capability had to be demonstrated (it is not that we have the bomb only now. We have had it all along). The international community had to know that we mean business. We are not meek, submissive, subservient beings as the world thinks we are. Moreover, your comparison of Mr Vajpayee's act with that of Mrs Gandhi's Emergency declaration is ridiculous. I cannot understand, for the life of me, how you can compare a tyrant's 'murder of democracy' to that of a bold leader's decision to finally put national security above all else. (Every prime minister wanted to do this and never had the guts to do as I K Gujral said in an interview. If not for the NewYork Times leak, Mr Narasimha Rao would have done this in 1995. Would you have questioned it then?) Doesn't that show that governments all along had the intentions of doing this (not the guts). It is not just that Mr Vajpayee brought it up from deep under the shelves and dusted it and bombed it because Jayalalitha was on his hair. It is crude on your part to attribute actions of a patriotic man to mere personal ambitions and internal squabbles. You ask, why did Vajpayee want to do this in 1996, when they only remained there for 13 days in power? Doesn't that contradict your theory that it is TO TAKE JAYALALITHA OUT OF HIS HAIR. For Jayalalitha was not part of the coalition, and they did not even have a coalition to appease then? It shows that they have this as a principle, and that they believe nuclear weaponry is the only option to guarantee peace in South Asia with a counter balance to China. Another reason you overlooked (I am not willing to say 'deliberately,' for I have respect for you) was it was around the 1996 time frame that India was being pressurised to sign the CTBT. India wanted to be as smart as France (I guess that was the reason Narasimha Rao okayed blasts earlier.) I find no relevance in some idiots doing a Nuclear Yatra to what you are writing about here. By comparing the Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra to this Nuclear Yatra, you are leading us to believe that it is the prime minister and home minister that are leading this Nuclear Yatra (to be frank, it is only in your article that I found out about this. I haven't read this anywhere else). When a national event of this magnitude happens, you may see few lunatics jumping on the street and few doing Yatras. That does not constitute the national mindset. Every Indian (except few hypocrites and communist sympathisers) were proud, and it was manifested in the overwhelming support that the Indians world over showed. It was long over due. Finally it happened. If you do not support the nuclear option, it is one thing. If you really are a 'peace lover,' and if you think we should always be fighting terrorist nations from behind the back and run to the "nuclear nations" for help it is also okay. But please do not slander and throw mud on someone that has finally done something for the nation, and made us all proud in this technological/scientific achievement. Suresh Chandra
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 16:00:48 -0400 (EDT) Mr Prem Panicker is in every way right . Till recently, we Indians strongly opposed any move to conduct nuclear tests. It is we, the same Indians who maintained that the Indian nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes. But we the same Indians rejoice when we hear that Agni and Prithvi are going to be supported by nuclear warheads. Are we going to celebrate when our nation involves itself in a nuclear warfare in the future? Seems that we are trying to justify whatever our country does. I also agree with Mr Panicker regarding the hollowness of the arguement that these tests were intended to counter the threats from the Chinese. Sathish S Vadhiyar
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:59:13 -0400 Congratulations! It has been a while since I read such a well researched article, based more on facts than hype. I am frankly overwhelmed and at times, irritated by the great number of e-mails I have been seeing in the US that say how proud they are, and how the national security issue is so much more important. Coming from a privileged group living in this country, mostly having benefited from a system that paid for their education at the cost of others, we still continue to fight our petty wars in proxy. I wonder if we have taken the opportunity to get to know a few Pakistanis and Chinese in this country, to give diplomacy a real chance. Especially in these days when Israel and Palestine are talking to each other and even the Irish are giving priority to rapprochement. And then this morning, I was listening to the BBC which carried a recording of some Pakistanis in Pakistan. A young woman said, "What is the difference between a Hindu and a Muslim? We are all human beings. My mother went through a major turmoil during our independence -- I do not want to repeat it." I felt overjoyed to hear that. Why did I not hear the same from the Indian presence in the West?
Pradip K Dev
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 12:54:49 -0700 Do you believe in digging a well when you are thirsty? Is India going to build nuclear weapons when China uses one against India? And about the perception of the threat from China, China is not going to kindly inform India when it is going to attack and claim Arunachal Pradesh. You ask, when we can use the bomb today why build one. When the first Indian satellite was sent in space, it was of very little use. But today India builds satellites which are of a lot of use. The same thing applies to the bomb. Amit Bapat
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 12:47:13 -0700 So what if the main goal was to shut up Jaya. The government is stronger now and the world's perception of India has improved. If the BJP continues to stay in power for the next several years they will have to perform: 1. Improve the economic situation. 2. Stabilise Kashmir. 3. Implement the Uniform Civil Code. 4. Get back PoK. Etc etc... You cannot do all this without showing the people that you mean business. So far the record has been good. Less talk and five explosions. The immediate goal of the nuclear arms is not to fight China but to scare and smoke out Pakistan. The BJP's smoke screen is so good that Mr Panicker is swallowing the story about a China scare. The more Pakistan arms itself from China and North Korea, the sooner will USA drop Pakistan and brand it a terrorist state. Pakistan without the US backing is no better or different than Iraq or Iran - an Islamic/dictatorial state.
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:46:13 -0400 Hi Prem and the Rediff Staff! As the euphoria of the H-Bomb tests settles, one tends to weigh the pros and cons of the test. From the behaviour of the political parties and the ill thought out actions of the politicians, it looks like that the testing was more of an act of political skin saving than any countering of the threat perceptions. The very fact that the BJP led government was ready to test the bomb during its thirteen day stint at the Centre proves that it was a political stunt done by the BJP government. This uncouth act of theirs might have been the result of its failiure to address any of the actual issues plaguing the nation. And what was the reward to the government - a few more months at the Centre, by when the sanctions would be showing in the economy, or some Jayalalitha would have toppled the government in pursuit of their selfish desires. And all this at the cost of losing the support of China, if any and alienating the international community. Was all this show necessary????
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:41:12 -0400 (EDT) Hey Prem....You wrote a lot of things which showed a lot of insight. Insight into you and here's a solution for you -- stop thinking stupidly and all your theories will vapourise... PS: I do love reading your columns on cricket, doesn't that say something... a legless man should never try to teach people how to run. Take it easy man.
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:39:33 -0400 My name is Mahender Singh and I am a software engineer in Boston USA. First let me congratulate you on your courageous view points. I agree with you 200%. This BJP government has no moral right to depict our beloved country as a jingoistic, chauvinistic nation. The way they are celebrating this new acquired burden as you aptly described is really shameful and should be condemned by all of us. They are leading us to the status of a pariah nation. I think we should not allow these fascists to throw the country of Gandhi and Nehru into the Bay of Bengal. I am so pained when Western countries depict us as a nation of duplicists after these explosions. Are we really duplicists? Is it not our sovereign right to pursue policies for our national interest? Why doesn't this BJP government put these explosions in the right perspective in front of the world community, rather then just harping on the threat from China. Why didn't this government or previous government give an ultimatum to the Western powers that we were going to explode nuclear devices, untill you do some effective changes in CTBT or NPT and guarantee our security. I am sure the way they are courting Pakistan, they should have agreed to something or at least softened their stance on CTBT. But I still don't understand the need for it at this time. Another thing which is laughable and pathetic is Vajpayee's claim that these explosions give India self confidence and respect. Is he trying to say that during these past 50 years we never had any self confidence in ourselves? Don't we have anything to be proud of these 50 years, ie, feeding almost 1 billion people, scientific achievements and creating a big pool of educated and talented workforce, which the whole world recognises now. Of course we still have a long way to go. It is like trying to impose the RSS slogan which says, Garv se kaho, hum Hindu hai as if by not saying it makes us less Hindus. It really make me sick when these so called protectors and enhancers of national self respect refer to that five thousand years of culture and history. What was so great about that culture? That culture made us slaves for thousands of years, it taught us nothing but division in our society on caste lines, treating our own people as less humans. To hell with such a culture. I had great respect for Vajpayee before these elections, but look what he turned out to be, an irresponsible person, who cannot control his allies. He think by these bombs he can take on China and solve the Kashmir problem. Now I am 100% sure there is no difference between Mulayam Yadav, and him. Today I have read a statement from Mulayam, where he is suggesting to forfeit all the properties of multinationals. God when will we get rid of such politicians! I think Gujral would have been a much sensible and responsible prime minister had he had the majority to govern for a full five year term. I hope other newspapers will also have the courage to show this government the way to come down to earth and deal sensibly with this situation. By the way this is my first reply to Rediff. I love your cricket coverage. Keep it up! Finally, thanks for such a thought provoking article.
Mahender Singh
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:38:31 -0400 Great article. We need some restraint on this issue. The BJP is going out of control. Nuclear weapons are very dangerous and should not be used for getting votes. The most important issue for any Indian government is economic reform and the provision of basic education to majority of Indians. It is great for the middle class to pat ourselves in the back on the great intellect of our scientists and our ability to stand up to aggression. However, the fact is that the world in the 21st century is an economic game, where we have clearly not realised our potential. If the government of India (now the BJP and its allies) fails to recognise this, the country as a whole will pay a heavy price. We certainly do not need an arms race in the subcontinent at this stage. Moreover, it seems to me that the Chinese threat is overstated by the BJP in an effort to give credibility to its actions. Having got the country into a hole with sanctions when inflation is increasing and economic growth is slowing and no infrastructure investment is occuring, the BJP needs to show that it can have the courage for deep structural economic reforms that may go against the swadeshi ideals of its RSS friends. My fear, however, is that they will go to their next pet project -- Ayodhya or an Uniform Civil Code in an effort to win the next elections. Undoubtedly, this would be a disaster for the country. Instead of being the Asian "tiger in chains" (as the economist once called India) we may land up being an "extinct tiger" if sanity does not prevail. S Viswanathan
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:08:06 -0400 You're article is right on the button. As a proud and patriotic Indian, I feel betrayed as never before by an Indian administration. Far from ensuring our security, this single act of utter foolishness has condemned India to continued hostility from its neighbours for years, if not decades, to come. The real battles for the country are on the economic and social front. These stupid "patriots" have ensured that we will have to fight these battles against even more terrible odds than before. Venkatesh Krishnaswamy
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 14:48:31 -0400 Please ask him to stick to Cricket. He is good with that.
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 14:46:50 -0400 Though this story does have a lot of logical points well made, but it somehow gives a feeling that the writer does want to twist a few facts to bash the BJP. I think he should have considered a couple of points here: 1. Inspite of what ever he thinks about China's attempts of friendship, it still continues to help Pakistan with various weapon systems and related technology. 2. It is (in my opinion) also necessary to show not only others but Indian citizen what our people are capable of once in a while to boost some confidence. Even if we forget about explosions for a moment, I think the fact that India strategists could plan something of this size without US satellites finding it out is definitely worth a pat on the back. No doubt the BJP would use this (nuclear explosions) to get political mileage; but the last question of 'blasting Jayalalitha . . .' is just not professional. To go to down to the writers level, I would say these are statements one comes across at barber's shops (who seems to know about everything in the world) or at a 'paan' shop. I would go to the extent of saying that it blacks out all the logic in the article and leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth. Milind Dharap, NJ USA
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 11:45:28 -0700 I enjoy reading Prem's articles, both on cricket and on other political issues. This article is also well researched and well thought of. I agree to his conclusions that this test could have been due to political compulsions, but let me argue that India has not been in any way an international darling -- getting all funds and other support from the international community! On the other hand China with all its problems (human right violations, nuclear prolifieration etc) never had problems in getting MFN status from the US. For this India required to be noticed in the world scene, and probably this was the way out. I do not forsee India ever using its nuclear weapon against any country or other nation ever using it. I completely agree with Prem that there was no need for any yatra or any such celebration. Anand
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 10:33:11 -0800 You probably forgot one link while thinking about this article. China was making very friendly noises before 1962 also. In fact it was the much shriller noise called, "Hindi-Chini bhai bhai." And then it annihilated the entire batallion of the Indian army in an unprovoked attack. Why? How must we believe them now? More so when they are assisting Pakistan with missiles and nuclear weapons. And you also forgot one basic law - 'Thou care for thy self.' In the hour of need, it takes seconds for all friends and goodwill to vanish. If you can't take care of yourself, nobody will. Sanjeev Kumar
Date sent: Mon, 18 May 1998 18:02:22 EDT India has the unique distinction of being the only country in the history of the world that has been a slave for thousand years, and one would wonder why? If one were to read Prem Panicker, one would find out reason too. As long as there is one Prem Panicker in a country that country can even dream of being free ever, now or in the future? Vinod Kumar
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 00:29:59 -0700 This probably is the best article I've read in the last eight days on the Indian nuclear tests. Very well written, well researched and analytical. Thanks to Prem. Sambit
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 11:26:38 +0300 Mr Vajpayee, did it finally take a thermonuclear explosion to blast Jayalalitha out of your hair? Well to the country at large this might be a great celebration time. But the million dollar question to be answered is: "Did it require a TN(Thermonuclear) explosion to divert the attention of the public from the TN (Tamil Nadu) political war to a real war, at the tax payers cost?" However they have achieved it and people are praising their acts of "defence" (pun - for themselves and for the country). Anantha
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 14:32:34 +0530 Good piece this. We needed this to get us thinking, to take a different view of things and not get carried away in the general scheme of things like nuclear yatra (hahahahahahaha). I have a feeling if we had put that kinda nuclear stuff into a reactor to generate power, this and many more summers could be 'cooler powered.'
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 10:53:13 -0400 While the ignorant and uneducated masses without an iota of intelligence revel in the hysteria of the nuclear tests, it is up to true patriots like you to speak up and be a light in the darkness. Great job Prem!!!
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 08:17:03 -0700 I wouldn't go so far as branding Prem Panicker a traitor, but this is clearly a one sided account, and doesn't take into consideration many a factors, such as missile build-up in Tibet, arms flow into Burma, setting up of a monitoring system in the Bay of Bengal, missile and nuclear technology flow into Pakistan, which were all subsequent to the so called confidence building measures initiated around 1996. There is something called military intelligence and surprisingly, even the CIA has credited the Indian intelligence with some amount of expertise. Surely there would be some input from this wing into the current development? Prem, I do not think you have either the expertise or knowledge to blame the current government for the imbroglio. There may be surely an element of truth in that Vajapayee was trying to put away the leach eating into the vitals of the current government, but please don't accuse him of having dealt a raw deal to the defence minister. Srinivas Murthy
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 10:33:10 -0700 A thoughtful article that raises serious questions about the nuclear test. You should follow up with perhaps an analysis of defence capabilities of the three countries -- India, Pakistan and China as well as the question why India, being the largest democracy in the world, is still 'seeking respect among nations' and still 'finds it hard to come by?' Why are our diplomats not succeeding in convincing other countries why they should ally with India and not Pakistan when it comes to questions such as Kashmir?
Date sent: Tue, 19 May 1998 15:36:56 -0700 This article from Prem Panicker was great, and I was expecting such articles from more people. I felt this was a true article as lot of others were trying to bury the truth inside the so called "national pride." I agree with Mr Panicker fully and extend my full support to India. Bala
How Readers reacted to Amberish K Diwanji's last column
|
||
|
HOME |
NEWS |
BUSINESS |
CRICKET |
MOVIES |
CHAT
INFOTECH | TRAVEL | LIFE/STYLE | FREEDOM | FEEDBACK |
||