Ever since some new findings have been disclosed, the response to the idea of terrorism needs a relook. Suddenly, communal harmony faces a threat from a new section — the Hindu fundamentalists, associated with extreme right wing organisations and their sympathisers in the armed forces. What is more damaging is branding individual acts of Sadhvi Pragya, Lt Col Purohit and others as “Hindu terrorists” by a section of the political and intellectual class. While such a branding is understandable in view of the tenacity with which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Vishwa Hindu Parishad-Bharatiya Janata Party combine had clubbed all acts of terror under "Islamic terrorism", it hardly serves any purpose.
Terrorism has no religion and terrorists are a disgruntled lot of young people who are being trained to commit acts that destabilise the society. Unfortunately, our country has become a fertile ground for breeding a large pool of youth — jobless and devoid of formal education — and training them in the irrational ideology of the terrorists.
The blame for this squarely lies on the government, which continues with an economic policy that perpetuates the disproportionate distribution of resources and opportunities. Also, it has failed to break the terror modules that operate within our country or infiltration through our porous borders. What is worse is the growing sophistication with which these acts are being carried out.
Hundreds of districts in India are under the control of Naxalites. The difference between Naxalites and religious fundamentalists is that the former has an identifiable enemy against whom its actions are directed, while the latter undertake actions of terror indiscriminately, claiming many innocent lives in the process. Naxalites, I believe, have succeeded in drawing people on the rhetoric of 'class war' and have a large following that transcends communities and exclusive identities. The movement has seldom been communalised, while fundamentalists carry out their operations within the ambit of their religion.
In an amazing and historic moment, more than 5,000 Islamic clerics from Deoband and Aligarh recently travelled to Hyderabad to redefine Islam in the context of Indian Muslims. In their congregation, they debated the interpretation of Jihad from the Koranic text and disclosed as to how some fundamental groups were able to twist the meaning of Jihad to engage people in their terrorist principals. An erudite speaker at the congregation observed said that without literacy and formal education, the Indian Muslim community would remain backward. He said that one reason for Muslim backwardness was because girls were never given formal education. The clerics, I am told, accepted this to a large degree, although they may continue to have some reservations about allowing girls to educate themselves in an institutionalised way, which would require them to step outside the confines of their homes. While this is a sensitive matter, ingrown in the psyche of Islamic clerics, yet the fact that there is a thought that Muslims, in order to find their rightful place in India, have to change, gives some hope that Muslim backwardness and economic depravity may be reduced in a few years. If that happens, then the fringe organisations that make tall claims about fighting for the sake of Islam may find it very difficult to continue their dastardly acts. For, the Muslim community will itself settle the score with terrorists. Hence, it is in the interest of all of us to not to communalise terrorism.
Recently, the nation witnessed the unfolding of investigations into the Malegaon blast. Various versions have been given about the perpetrators of the blast. The police has booked Sadhvi Pragya and has traced her links to some people in the armed forces, some saints and seers. Somewhere along the line, people have branded the Malegaon accused as Hindu terrorists. A few have defended their act by saying that it was time for Hindus to react. If, by any chance, this is retributional terrorism by a section of the Hindus, it will be a sad day for the country. One hopes political parties do not take sides and the police is allowed to book the offenders. Irresponsible statements from any political party can be dangerous at this juncture.
It is neither in the interest of the people nor the state to divide the two communities. India has lived through the bitter experience of Partition and the turmoil in 1947, which was a result of such exclusionary and ‘community first’ principals. Those who remained in India and account for almost 15 million of our population, are as Indian as the next person. They have a confirmed national identity and participate and contribute to all national activities.

This writer is chairman, Ambuja Cements and Ambuja Cement Foundation