National

POTA repeal guided by vote bank politics: BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 17. The decision to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) was guided by "vote bank politics" and the United Progressive Alliance Government was "compromising" on internal security, the Bharatiya Janata Party said today.

"It is unfortunate that a law necessary for internal security has been repealed due to vote bank politics and the Government was compromising," the party general secretary, Arun Jaitley, said.

The law was required to tackle the menace of terrorism the country has been facing for over two decades and also a requirement after a United Nations resolution. Even now, several States such as Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka had laws to tackle organised crime, with provisions as stringent as those in POTA.

Special features

Mr. Jaitley said there were special features, essential for every anti-terrorism law, in POTA. These include the definition of the word "terrorism"; making funding of terrorist activities an offence; provision for confiscating money and assets earned as profits of terrorism; provision to intercept communication between terrorists; ban on terrorist organisations; treating admission/confessions made by persons accused of terrorism as admissible evidence; stringent provisions for bail; protection of witnesses; and constitution of special courts to try terrorist offences.

Alternative law

Asked about the alternative legislation the Government was planning to bring in to replace POTA, Mr. Jaitley said it was not clear whether the features listed above would figure in the amended Unlawful Activities Act and so the party would comment only after perusing it.

To a question whether the BJP planned to take it up with the Election Commission since the Government's decision was announced ahead of the Maharashtra elections, Mr. Jaitley said the BJP would bring this before the people of the State.

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