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Advani blames ?soft? UPA for terror
LEADER OF Opposition in the Lok Sabha Lal Krishna Advani on Thursday said an increase in terrorist attacks was the result of the Congress-led UPA Government?s soft policy on terrorists. He also said repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act had led to the present situation. The former BJP president and ex-deputy prime minister said his party would bring back POTA if it returned to power.?The United States and Great Britain have stringent anti-terror laws.
LEADER OF Opposition in the Lok Sabha Lal Krishna Advani on Thursday said an increase in terrorist attacks was the result of the Congress-led UPA Government’s soft policy on terrorists. He also said repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act had led to the present situation.
The former BJP president and ex-deputy prime minister said his party would bring back POTA if it returned to power.
“The United States and Great Britain have stringent anti-terror laws. India, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime, had introduced POTA to rein in terrorists,” Advani told a Press conference after visiting the March 7 blast site at Sankat Mochan Temple this morning.
He said he raised terrorism-related issues with US President George W Bush during the latter’s visit to India. “I explained to Bush about the terror strikes in New Delhi prior to Diwali and the attack in Ayodhya before that,” Advani said.
Terrorism, along with the issue of illegal migration, was raised with Bangladesh Prime Minister Khalida Zia, he added.
He said, “Terrorism and Naxalism are not State issues. The Central Government needs to step in.” This comment came in response to a question whether he was in favour of handing over the Varanasi blast case to the CBI in view of the fact that the UP police’s Special Task Force had made no progress.
Advani evaded a query on expelled BJP leader Uma Bharati’s plans to float a new party. He said he did not want to comment on the matter.
He also criticised the ruling UPA for adjourning Parliament sine die without informing the Opposition. “It was earlier decided with mutual consent that Parliament will remain in session up to May,” Advani said, adding, he was surprised when Parliament was suddenly adjourned sine die.
“This type of situation had not arisen in Parliament since 1970.” Without naming Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said all this was done to protect one person. Justifying his plans to embark on a rath yatra, Advani said four threats from the present UPA government had necessitated this.
The BJP needed to raise public awareness about the issues of security, social unity, democracy and good governance that confronted the nation.
He said his yatra and that of BJP president Rajnath Singh would be launched on April 6, which marked the foundation day of the party and coincided with Ram Navmi this year.
Earlier, Advani landed here in a chartered plane and drove straight to the Sankat Mochan Temple. He was accompanied by party chief Rajnath Singh, MPs SS Ahluwalia, Santosh Gangwar, State BJP chief Keshari Nath Tripathi and Leader of Opposition in the UP Assembly Lalji Tandon. He also visited some of the injured at Sir Sunder Hospital of BHU.
He also visited the bereaved family members of some of those who died in the bomb blasts on March 7.
The BJP leader offered prayers at the temple and performed ‘parikrama’ during his 30-minute stay. He also spent a few minutes near a tree which had borne the brunt of the powerful blast that rocked the centuries-old temple on March 7.
He was briefed by local BJP leaders and senior policemen about various issues that emerged out of the terror attacks.
Meanwhile, about 300 BJP activists, including about two dozen women, raised slogans at the temple against the State Government for its failure to check terrorism.
