Psychologically, this is how things take place. Ultimately, the result was that not only the administration was demoralised, but the political parties outside were demoralised, the Akali Dal itself paralysed, and so important leaders Mr. Longowal, Mr. Badal and others were practically, for all practical purposes, prisoners of Bhindranwale’s group. This was the situation that was created in Punjab. What do we do? How do we deal with these things? Prof. Dandawate mentioned a very beautiful phrase and I liked that phrase-alienation, “after the army action, alienation has taken place.” It is a very fasionable and fine phrase, particularly fasionable with professors. But something more than ‘alienation’ had taken place before this incident, and that is what is more important to take not of while dealing with this matter. When such a thing had gone on there.

Prof. Madhu Dandavate : I am not very happy to use that. phrase; I feel deeply disturbed while saying that there is alienation. But there is alienation and that is fact.

Shri Yashwantrao Chavan : I am telling you that there was something more than alienation before the army action. I said, I like that phrase; that is fasionable.

Shri Indrajit Gupta : Although you are not a professor.

Shri Yashwantrao Chavan : I am not a professor. I am glad I am not a professor.

This was a situation that a group had created practically in the whole of punjab, and if these things had been allowed to be continued, the whole nation would have been in chaos. This is important thing that has to be taken note of. In a big and complex country like India, it is not very soft, poetic way of going all along; it is big and complex country. It required taking very hard decisions. Occasions do arise when hard decisions have to be taken. I believe that rulers should have a poetic mind because those who have got a poetic mind can get angry with themselves. I think, it is a good quality for being democratic rules that they must get angry with themselves also. Here I found things were deteriorating so fast. I gave my impression to the Prime Minister on my return : There is sort of pre-civil war situation in Punjab; if things are allowed to go the way they are going, things ultimately will go completely out of hand; something will have to be done; something has to be done.”, I knew that ‘something’ was a very hard decisions, and hard decisions take some what is longer time to take. There may have been. I do not know; there may have been some hesitation in the mind of the Prime Minister. Naturally those who take a decision about the use of army have to go through mental agonies, and it has to be a very hesitant, a very reluctant, decision. Ultimately it had to be taken; that decision was taken finally. The decision, according to my own assessment, has made a great contribution to India’s post-independence history. Some people may say that this has created a problem. Naturally it has also created some problem. When this action took place, I was away in my home town a small town in Maharashtra. The morning newspapers flashed the news and I was surprised that people from all sections of the society in that small town came to greet me saying that something good has happened, you have saved the country, the Government have saved the country. I have nothing to do with the decision. But I am telling you the feeling of the people, the feeling of all, not only in Punjab but all over the country. You have to feel about it what happens in the rest of the country. If we allow one holy place or one place of worship to be used as a sort of an armed fortress in Punjab, the same thing can happen in all other States: