The Hindu : Cong. not soft on terrorism: Sonia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2002

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Cong. not soft on terrorism: Sonia

By Shujaat Bukhari

The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and senior party leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad (right), at the Raghunath temple in Jammu on Monday.

JAMMU NOV. 25. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, who arrived here today in the wake of the terrorist attack on two temples, defended the Jammu and Kashmir Government policies and said the Congress was not soft on terrorism.

But the Union Minister of State for Home, I.D. Swami, and the National Conference president, Omar Abdullah, said that `softness' on the part of the Congress-PDP coalition Government headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, had affected the morale of the security forces.

It was the day for political leaders to make a beeline for Jammu to visit the Raghunath temple which was attacked by the militants of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba on Sunday.

The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, the Governor, G .C. Saxena, and the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, also visited the site besides the Union Minister of State for Defence, Chaman Lal Gupta.

Responding to questions, Ms. Gandhi said that a `misunderstanding' had been created on the release of 26 detenus by the Jammu and Kashmir Government. ``They were released after clearance by Central intelligence agencies, that is what everyone has to know''. Ms. Gandhi described the attack as barbaric and denied that the Congress was soft on terrorism. To a question she retorted, ``Don't dare accuse the Congress of being soft on terrorism. I have lost two of my family members to terrorism.''

She was accompanied by the PCC president, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and her Political Secretary, Ambika Soni.

Mr. Fernandes refused to talk to mediapersons but had detailed meetings with the Governor, the Chief Minister and senior civil, police and army officials. He later left for Srinagar.

Mr. Swami, who also visited the encounter site, said that infiltration had never stopped from across the border. ``These attacks on religious places are aimed at communalising the situation but the people have shown maturity and defeated their designs.'' Though it was too early to sit in judgment on whether the `softness' on the part of the State Government had anything to do with the situation, he said there was an adverse effect on the security forces with the ``much-talked about healing touch and other measures.''

The security forces had shown valour and courage in dealing with the situation.

Mr. Omar Abdullah, demanded a high-level probe into the terrorist attack and said ``I hope Mufti Saheb will institute an inquiry into it to bring the facts out''. Commenting on the ``healing touch policy'', he said ``it should have a good impact but if it is like this then they (militants) get more confidence''. He said the morale of the security forces in the last month had suffered and this needed to be checked.

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