It is not about nationalism but India’s national security

It is not about nationalism but India’s national security February 20, 2016, 3:51 pm IST Ashali Varma in No Free Lunch After going through the endless debates and essays I find that nationalism has been discussed at length but India’s security has not come up for much debate. This what I worry about as we live in a dangerous neighbourhood and the enemy could be anywhere. It is easy to forget about the victims of 26/11 because Rajeev Sardesai and Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Umar Khalid were not gunned down by Kasab and his companions. They were not present either when Maoist killed 70 jawans. Nor have they ever spent months on the Siachen glacier protecting our country. Nor are they in any way related to the policemen and CRPF jawans who died fighting terrorists in the parliament attack. For that matter they are not even involved with protecting our borders where militants kill soldiers on a daily basis. So as an army brat, I wonder how they can dare to comment on nationalism. I just wonder how they would feel if death stalked them daily in the forests between Pakistan and India? Instead, they write long ponderous pieces declaring how wrong it is to book a youth on sedition. I wonder if they have heard of the Patriot Act in the US. Are they living in some cuckoo land even after 9/11 and 26/11? Do they not know that if you say anything like the following in America about the 9/11 terrorists you would be put away without much fuss—and no newspaper or TV channel would dare to say one thing in your favour much less write reams on how innocent the young men were. -‘Tum kitne Afzal maroge, ghar-ghar se Afzal niklenge’ – ‘Pakistan zindabad’ – ‘Kashmir maange azaadi, ladkar lenge azaadi’ – ‘Kashmir ki azaadi tak, jung rahegi-jung rahegi’ – ‘Bharat ki barbaadi tak, jung rahegi-jung rahegi’ – ‘Afzak ki hatya nahi sahenge’ I find the lines above very scary and extremely worrying for our security. It takes very little to turn one person into a terrorist. It does not even need brainwashing but just a belief that the state is wrong and should suffer the consequences. Go through Kasab’s interrogation, he did it for money! He did not even hate India. He did not study in a tony university rallying up people against India. He was just a very poor kid who got recruited by the LeT and once he got in he realized he could not get out. He knew too much. But the JNU rally above speaks volumes in the words chosen by so called innocent students merely against death penalty! When I heard it at the same time that I heard the only soldier who had been rescued in Siachen had died, it really made my blood boil. This is a visceral hate speech wanting to destroy this country, forget nationalism, talk security, such people are really a security risk and if you don’t think so just look at the Patriot Act. We need one just like that as America has two huge oceans protecting it while we have porous borders and the enemy is not just at the gate but within us. You mention the word terrorist or bomb or killing in an airport or campus in the US and see what happens to you. I think India is far too lenient and far too indulgent about our national security and that is because for years the police and army have been scared to take down terrorists in case it is called an encounter and they instead of the terrorists are put in jail! What lunacy, the Congress created! What an atmosphere of indulgence that has created monsters that have come back to haunt us again and again and yes only the little people get killed in the hundreds as the powerful have Z security. So Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal can go to the students and encourage the hate speech but someone else is guarding their backs and that is a soldier or a policeman who is the first line of defense. No wonder arm chair journalists and petty politician can speak volumes on nationalism without ever having to be in the line of fire. No wonder I am getting hundreds of mails from the army and security establishments about the dangerous games such people are playing. Even Pakistan is playing it up to the hilt while they put a guy who flew an Indian flag to jail for ten years! Why are we always the first to shoot ourselves in the foot. Rajdeep Sardesai, if you had an inkling of what I have gone through and seen firsthand as a soldier’s daughter you would not talk so glibly about being an anti-national as if it was a badge of honour. No Sir medals are not won, pontificating to your friends and readers, medals are won when you are ready to give your life for your country. We have seen enough terrorism in India. If you have the guts and the mindset, mentor students in honour and sacrifice and not in worthless rallies that make martyrs of terrorists and want to destroy our blessed country. It is our national security at stake and not some mindless war cry that you think is just kids having fun