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By Our Special Correspondent
The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, visiting the Aksharadham Temple in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. — Photo: Paras Shah
Mr. Vajpayee, who cut short his visit to the Maldives and flew in directly to pay his tributes to the victims of Tuesday's terrorist attack on the complex, said terrorism the world over was on its "death bed,'' and reiterated the country's resolve to end the menace. Ms. Gandhi visited the complex minutes before Mr. Vajpayee did. She said the Congress was with the Government in its fight against terrorism. "We are all one in the fight against the menace of terrorism.'' Terming the good voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections as a "stunning slap on the face of Pakistan and the world of terrorism,'' Mr. Vajpayee said the attack on the Akshardham complex of the Swaminarayan sect was a "well-planned conspiracy'' borne out of "frustration.'' Intelligence agencies had been ordered to go into the attack in detail to unearth the powers behind the terrorists. ``Terrorism is on its last legs and will meet its Waterloo soon, but we must continue to wage an unrelenting battle against it,'' he said. There was need to isolate the terrorist elements to frustrate their subversive activities which sought to weaken the national fabric. The terrorists were "blood-thirsty" and what they did were not routine acts of violence. All attempts had been made by the terrorists to prevent the voters in Kashmir from reaching the polling booths, create a fear psychosis through planned assassination of candidates and terrorise their supporters, and yet, "democracy has triumphed. The people defied terrorists and came out in large numbers to cast their votes, a telling indicator of the innate strength of Indian democracy.'' A visibly-moved Mr. Vajpayee, who went around the blood-stained temple complex and called on the patients in the civil hospital here, declared a special Central assistance of Rs. 50,000 to the victims in addition to that of the State Government. Without referring to the post-Godhra violence, the Prime Minister expressed concern over violence and counter-violence in Gujarat and made an impassioned plea to the people to break the vicious cycle. He called for peace and unity in the face of the terrorist attack. "The blood stains will dry but this will ever remain a challenge to us,'' he said. Violence and bloodshed were not a matter of concern only for the political parties but encompassed larger issues of national security. "How long will we continue the cycle of violence and counter- violence... this must end,'' he said. Mr. Vajpayee, Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Advani appreciated the action of the commando forces and the Gujarat Police in bringing a quick end to the temple siege. The Congress president, who was accompanied by Kamal Nath, general secretary and in-charge of Gujarat affairs, and the State unit president, Shankarsinh Waghela, went around the complex and visited the hospital before calling on the family of Sukhadiya, a Gandhinagar district Congress leader, three members of whose family were among those killed by the terrorists. She appealed to the people to maintain peace in the face of the "dastardly acts" of the terrorists.
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