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Congress for debate on terrorism

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Congress on Wednesday said it shared the concerns expressed by the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on ‘home grown terrorists’ and reiterated its suggestion for a national debate on the causes behind its growth.

“We also share BJP’s concern about home grown terrorists and that it should be addressed. But we ask the BJP as to what is the reason from this” party spokesperson Shakil Ahmed said. He said India faces terrorism on three fronts, separatism in the Norteast, Naxalism and Communalism.

Mr. Ahmed said contrary to the campaign about the handling of internal security by the United Progressive Alliance, statistics suggest that the number of terror strikes and casualty was far greater during the previous National Democratic Alliance Government(NDA).

Figure speaks

Reeling of figures, Mr. Ahmed said that total incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast, in Naxalite violence and communal clashes was 36, 259 during the 1999-2003 regime of the NDA as against 24,967 between 2004 and now, when the UPA is in power. The casualty figures during the NDA Government period stood at 11,714 while it is 6,636 during the current regime.

Mr. Ahmed claimed that despite POTA, the then Government could not contain attacks and only proves that the UPA has been effective in dealing with this menace.

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