Anger

The terrorists have at last been defeated. Now comes the time for questions and answers.

The sense of anger amongst the citizenry is palpable. And it is as much directed against the government as the terrorists. The government has completely failed to discharge its duty of protecting citizens. This was not an attack from the blue. For the past many years, terrorist attacks have rocked multiple Indian cities on multiple situations. Bombay was last attacked in July '06. This year, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Bangalore had already been targeted. Bombay was clearly high on the priority-list of the terrorists. RDX had been smuggled into the country via its coast in 1993. Why is Bombay's - Bombay, the home of the Indian Navy's western fleet - coastline still so porous? Why were there no NSG commandos in Bombay? Why was the union home minister on TV announcing the despatch of the black cats for the terrorists to see and plan?

There must be accountability. The union home minister Shivraj Patil has to resign. So does Maharashtra's home minister RR Patil. Perhaps even the Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister of Maharashtra.

Unless there is concrete action by the union and state governments in the next few months to improve internal security, the Congress party faces a big rout in the elections in May '09. For many reasons, including its complete inaction on economic reforms and infrastructre creation, and its gross fiscal mismanagement in a time of economic prosperity, I was quite disinclined to recast my vote for the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. That disinclination has almost become a certainty now, and it will take sometime big to change.