Security concerns

The tradition is that the President addresses the nation on the eve of Independence Day and the Prime Minister does so on Independence Day. On Monday, President APJ Abdul Kalam focused, as well he might, on "comprehensive national security", which he said had many aspects, such as territorial security, internal security, energy security and economic security. He also said that while India has the forms of good governance (courts, police, laws et al.), the substance is often lacking. In what might be inferred as a veiled reference to the Office of Profit Bill (which he has so far not signed into law) he said "...every political and executive system should allow the law to function without interference".

Given the grim context of recent episodes, it was understandable that terrorism seemed to be uppermost in the President's mind as he emphasised the need for a National Campaign to Eradicate Terrorism (NCET) and called for national ID cards""which is a good idea whose time may have come, especially when telephone companies are being asked to do detailed security checks and personal verification before issuing connections. On energy security, he said: "The vast thorium resources of the nation should be harnessed by our scientists and technologists. I am confident that we have the capability to build our own thorium-based reactors." Is one reading too much into this, if this is placed in the context of the Indo-US nuclear deal, which is based on uranium?

On Tuesday morning, about 12 hours later, the Prime Minister too dwelt on security concerns while speaking from the Red Fort. Dr Singh spoke bluntly to Pakistan about how terrorist outrages affect the country's appetite for peace overtures, and the new tone on the subject was striking because it has not been adopted before. The Prime Minister also sent out a clear note of warning to home-grown Naxalites, and the message seems to be that tough steps will be taken""perhaps a signal that the government is not going to make any peace overtures to the Naxal groups, which are active in about 150 districts of the country. Clearly, security has become an issue of prime national concern, and this was reflected in both the speeches.

However, as should be expected, the bulk of the Prime Minister's address to the nation focused on economic issues, in particular the fact that while there has been rapid economic growth, it has not benefited everyone. He then spent time on his government's major programmes for addressing the issue (rural employment guarantee cards for 20 million people, mid-day meals for 120 million schoolchildren, doubling of farm credit in two years, and so on). Listening to a long list of government programmes is always tedious, but it is understandable that the Prime Minister should use a national occasion to focus on the key programmes of his government and explain their import.

There was a major omission from the Prime Minister's speech, perhaps because the President referred to it. This was a reference to the Indo-US nuclear deal. By now it is clear to everyone that India has concerns about the way the whole thing has moved. If the US Senate does not modify and withdraw some of the clauses in the Bill that it finally passes, the problem could develop into an impasse. Dr Singh's silence on the subject suggests that he is treating the matter with caution until the picture becomes clear. What the US needs to do is to make it crystal clear that what began as an agreement related to civil nuclear power is not being transmogrified into a nuclear non-proliferation tool.