Forget votebank, fight terror: Advani to Govt

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani wrapped up the three-day party conclave in Bangalore with a call to the Govt to act without fear of losing votebanks, reports Shekhar Iyer.

As the blasts in Delhi brought back worst memories of terrorism, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani wrapped up the three-day party conclave in Bangalore with a call to the government to act without fear of losing votebanks.

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At the same time, Advani made it clear the BJP is not against Muslims. In fact, he said, it is totally against equating terrorism with Islam or any religion and “subjecting innocent persons of any community to suspicion or persecution”. He said: “The BJP respects all faiths. The Congress has been doing injustice to our Muslim brethren — even by setting up the Sachar panel.”

He listed terrorism and price rise as the main issues for the BJP. He said the UPA’s indifference towards the two showed its “unwillingness and incapacity” to protect the physical and economic security of the common man. “Terrorists have no fear because the Congress and its government are gripped with fear — fear of losing votebanks — when it comes to uncompromising legal and administrative measures against terrorism,” Advani said. According to him, “the burden of unprecedented price rise” is the single most important reason for his wanting to vote out the UPA government.

What is needed in the war against terror, according to Advani, is a spirited all-inclusive national approach, combined with good governance and politics. He, however, said recent terror attacks had two disturbing features: first, though terrorism’s global network continues to be the mastermind of this war, its local roots have spread wider; second, it is getting open support in certain sections of the political class.