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Resigns Finally some of the Congress ministers have heard the voice of their ‘conscience’ and have resigned taking moral responsibility for the Mumbai Terror Attack. The first to go was Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. He was followed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, who also head the state home ministry, sent his resignation to Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh on Monday morning. It must be learnt that R R Patil had won the election on the NCP ticket and is a part of the Sharad Pawar headed NCP and Congress alliance government in Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar had asked the CM to accept his resignation. According to the latest reports CM Deshmukh, too, have entered into the ‘race’ of taking ‘moral responsibility’ for Mumbai attack and has offered to resign. CM Deshmukh had held a press meeting on Monday in which he told that he had sent his resignation to the CVC which had not taken any decision about it. It must be leant that resignation is sent to the Governor according to the norm. His move once again indicates to what extent his ‘conscience has been shaken. A Congress Working Committee meeting was held on Saturday night in which every participant had ‘emphasized the need to ensure accountability from ‘higher to lower level’. Recent resignations are the result of the CWC meeting.

Damage Control Though some ministers have given resignation taking moral responsibility for the Mumbai terror carnage but this exercise appears to be only a ‘damage control’ process. Congress led UPA government is facing the criticism for its failure to take concrete steps against the terrorists. Terrorist have hit the city after city with serial blast but Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil remained stuck to his ‘post’. When Delhi was hit by serial blast he proffered to change his dress before appearing in a press conference. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, always, was ’shaken’ whenever terrorists triggered bomb blasts and killed innocent people. But he never acted upon on his own word that he had iterated after the Samjhota Express blasts. Shivraj Patil has resigned by not ‘listening to his inner voice’ but it is the external ‘voice’ that has forced him to quit the job, he was never eligible for.

Public Reaction On the other hand Mahrashtra government had proved only a ‘failure’. How a government can not save the innocent people from militants that fails even to save some ‘poor’ north Indians from the MNS ‘goondahs’. But it is not the performance of the Maharashtra government that is being debated in public in critical terms but its approach towards the Mubai terror attack is also unacceptable to the public of India. Maharashtra’s Deputy CM R R Patil had made a remark that “small incidents like this do happen in big cities”. His remark indicates that how serious he was about his duty. For him, when India was being attacked , it was a small incident. CM Deshmukh , too had to face the public flak when he visited the terror hit ‘Taj Hotel’ along with filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma and his actor-son. But his visit raised the eyebrows. Public reacted to his visit by circulating text messages through mobile phones. One of which was,”Don’t insult us by thinking of making a ‘realistic’ film glorifying or capitalising on this situation. God please save our country from such terrorism and such filmmakers.”

Questions Indian public has understood the ‘resign’ game and can not be pacified merely was changing some ‘faces’. Government will have to answer many questions. Intelligence agencies, already had warned about the terror attack through sea route. But nothing was done at the ground level. Even the information was not passed on to Coastal Guards and the Navy. Some top cops of Mumbai police died even when they were wearing protective ‘bullet proof’ jackets. It must be learnt that Mumbai police had rejected the ’substandard’ equipment. But they had been supplied the same in spite of their continuous hue and cry.

Anger Indian government has decided to take some ‘concrete’ steps to increase the internal security and has finally agreed to establish a Central Federal Investigation Agency and strengthen a legal framework in the fight against terror. These are initial steps that government of India has decided to take. Only time will tell when they are transformed into reality. But there is no doubt that Congress will have to face the public anger in the wake of Mumbai terror attack.