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Cong, poll partner at loggerheads
CONGRESS PARTY seems to be heading for trouble in Uttar Pradesh as its principal poll partner Bharatiya Samaj Party wants death for Afzal Guru, the convict in the 2001 Parliament attack.
CONGRESS PARTY seems to be heading for trouble in Uttar Pradesh as its principal poll partner Bharatiya Samaj Party wants death for Afzal Guru, the convict in the 2001 Parliament attack.
Congress silence over one of its chief minister’s demand for commutation of death sentence awarded to Afzal Guru is likely to caste its shadow on the party’s prospects in the upcoming civic and Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
After a long spell of about two decades, Congress had roped in a partner (Bharatiya Samaj Party) which is rooted to its people in some parts of the state and the recent joint rallies in Eastern part of the State corroborated it.
Interestingly, leaders of the two parties— Sonia Gandhi (AICC president) and Om Prakash Rajbhar, president of Bharatiya Samaj Party, after having several rounds of meetings would share dais at a joint rally sometime in November in Lucknow.
“In the rally itself, the date for which is yet to be finalised, I will openly favour honoring Supreme Court verdict against Afzal Guru as convicted people do not deserve mercy, that too in terror case”, Om Prakash Rajbhar told Hindustan Times on phone on Thursday.
It is to be noted that Congress Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad had favored commutation of Afzal Guru’s death sentence.
Silence of Congress high command on the issue has provided sufficient ammunition for the opposition especially when poll atmosphere has started picking up in some states, especially in Uttar Pradesh.
“Congress has a long history of appeasing minorities for enjoying power and one need not be surprised at its role in Afzal Guru’s case”, Dr SS Dang, BJP spokesman told HT, adding, “People across the country have realized Congress’ latest appeasement doze in Afzal Guru case. BJP will rake up this kind of appeasement in the upcoming polls in the State’.
Effigies torched
activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (trade wing) torched effigies of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Gulam Nabi Azad, ex-CM, Farooq Abdullah and UPA government for supporting clemency for Afzal.
The BJP workers demanded that Afzal Guru should be hanged at any cost as the same would check growing terrorists activities across the country. “Pardoning a terrorist is an insult to ‘Bharat Mata’ which the BJP will never tolerate”, said president of BJP’s trade wing, Ashok Kohli. and alleged that UPA government was shielding terrorists.
