“Not to make a decision is also an important decision” –P V Narsimha Rao
Government of India is cajoling with system delaying tactics, as clemency plea of Afzal Guru is resting at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Home Ministry which is responsible in putting up the file at Rastrapati Bhawan is using all old Congress style tactics of delaying the decision for political benefit. UP elections are lined up, how can they ever allow such a crucial decision of ‘displeasing’ minority votes. So Afzal shall live, so is Kasab and in the party Madanis and Bittas will also get their reprieve.
I guess, banana republic wouldn’t be any different, going by the examples of Tamil Nadu state assembly resolution on clemency to Rajeev Gandhi assassination convicts, emulating an earlier disgrace for the Union of India by Kerala assembly resolution supporting Madani of Coimbtore bomb blast case, Punjab Chief Minister seeking intervention of PM for pardoning Bitta, a bomb blast accused, which killed 13 people; J&K Chief Minister went on Twitter spree asking would opposition be as muted if Jammu and Kashmir assembly had adopted similar resolution in support of Afzal Guru, had created stiff throughout the nation, later though that resolution introduced by an independent fell in the assembly.
It was in 2005 when issue of clemency to Coimbatore bomb blast accused Madani had come in Kerala state assembly which had passed it unanimously. Later, Tamil Nadu state legislative assembly adopting a unanimous resolution to repeal death penalty of three convicts of Rajeev Gandhi and 19 others murder in a bomb blast and Madras High Court ordering a stay on the death penalty on issues of the fact that it took 14 years to conclude that they be now hanged after sitting on their clemency petitions at Presidents office. And then came Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab who had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan singh urging him to intervene in the clemency petition of the Bitta who is awarded death penalty in case of bomb blast at AICC office which killed 13. So is Sonia Gandhi’s solo decision to ‘pardon’ Nalini, a convict in Rajeev Gandhi and others bomb blast murder case, is astonishing in the same line, since she took decision on other 19 people’s behalf.
In Kerala, it was CPI, CPIM and Congress unanimously resolving to give clemency to Abdul Naseer Madani. In Tamilnadu it is AIDMK, DMK and Again Congress supporting pardon to Murugan and two others in Rajeev Gandhi assassination case. In Punjab, it was SAD leader and Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal writing to PM to intervene in Bitta case and Congress leader Ex CM Amarender Singh singing to same tune.
New Delhi is facing a question of credibility, as examples like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, J&K state legislative assemblies and non-sense talk by State Chief Ministers of Punjab and J&K could trigger a negative feeling about the nation, at large. Matter though lies with the UPA and the Congress whether to have politics of principles or of national interest.
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