Tarnishing a soldier's sacrifice

The Mumbai mayhem is over; nearly 200 people lost their lives including some of our brave soldiers, but our political class is yet to learn from their mistakes. Despite taking moral responsibility of this attack on India, they are now busy with their as usual business to haul out the most, on the way to farther their political aspire. The recent remarks of some of our politicians, who even went ahead to tarnish the image of a slain soldier shows their true class.

It was Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan who crossed all the lines by insulting the family of slain NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in retaliation to the reception he received from Sandeep’s family while visited the soldier’s house in Bangalore. Sandeep’s father had snubbed the minister and asked him not to come to the house.

Certainly, there was nothing wrong from a father who lost his son for the sake of the nation. But what came from the chief minister in response a day later was the most uncalled for. He said, “If it had not been Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have glanced that way.” This is the politician who governs the most literate state of the country but fails to understand the grace and decency of being a public figure.

Then came the BJP Vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who while reacting to a peaceful public protest in Mumbai said: “some women wearing lipstick and powder have taken to streets in Mumbai and are abusing the political class spreading dissatisfaction against democracy.”

For a party who has ever since been making terrorism a political issue somehow forgot to edify its leaders the democratic principle where citizen has every right to question the decision maker. This shows incompetence of our politicians to take the public anger with assent.

Furthermore, the family of slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare did right while declining the financial aid from the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, because it was the same leader and party –BJP- who made a huge uproar over the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh in connection with Malegaon blast and even accused the ATS for custodial torture of the accused.

Also, the parties like Congress and NCP are not far behind when the NCP leader and the then deputy chief minister RR Patil described the Mumbai massacre a “small incident”, while the chief minister and Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh took his actor son and a Bollywood director to the devastated Taj Hotel as if they were at a picnic spot.

It is high time that our politicians should come out from their contemptible political game with a little sensible approach to serve the nation, or else public outrage is obvious.