The Hindu : Parties brace for POTO battle

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 21, 2002

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Parties brace for POTO battle

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 20. Political parties on both sides of the divide are mobilising their forces for a show of strength in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow when the Bill on the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance will be taken up for consideration and passing.

The Congress has made known that it will press for a division and that it will make every effort to defeat the "anti-democratic and draconian'' legislation in the Rajya Sabha even if it means a joint session of Parliament in which the treasury benches can have their way. The party strongly countered the propaganda and "whispering campaign" by the BJP that it was not serious about voting against POTO. The Congress had voted against it in the Lok Sabha and would do so again tomorrow in the Rajya Sabha, its leaders emphasised.

However, although Opposition parties together have an upper hand in the Upper House, with the AIADMK deciding to vote in favour of the Bill and the Bahujan Samaj Party likely to abstain (as it did in the Lok Sabha), the Opposition strength has dwindled. The Nationalist Congress Party may vote in favour of POTO. The final vote difference between the two sides may be much smaller than the earlier estimate of 20 to 25 made by the Government.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan, has asked all NDA allies to ensure full attendance of its members in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow. The BJP itself has issued a whip to all its MPs to be present and vote in favour of the legislation which, the party says, is the answer to the menace of terrorism.

The Congress has asked some of its MPs who are now hospitalised in different parts of the country to try and come for the crucial vote tomorrow. R.P. Goenka, its member now in a Kolkata hospital, has been contacted, so has been Bimba Raikar, admitted to a hospital in Bangalore. Manmohan Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, down with hepatitis, has also been asked to attend the House tomorrow. "Only a few members for whom it is impossible to come will be excused,'' a party leaders said, pointing out that one member was abroad getting his son treated in a hospital, and some MPs were away as part of a parliamentary delegation.

The BJP, the Congress and other parties want to undo what happened in the Lok Sabha when there were many absentees on both sides, more among Opposition parties, when POTO was adopted by a majority of 116 votes on March 18.

`It may send wrong signals'

The Parliamentary Party spokesman, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said there was a global campaign against terrorism and India, which was the most affected by this menace, should show the resolve to fight it. ``If a joint session is convened, a message goes all over that all the people of the country are not united to root out terrorism.''

Pointing out that similar anti-terrorism legislation had been passed by many countries unanimously, he said it was expected of the Opposition parties to extend full support to such legislation.

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