Date:03/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/03/stories/2008080355831000.htm

National

Centre should frame strict anti-terror law: Rajnath

Special Correspondent

Rajnath Singh

LUCKNOW: Accusing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of being soft on terrorism, BJP president Rajnath Singh said the Centre should frame a strict law, on the lines of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), and assured his party’s support to the move. Mr. Singh said the BJP did not believe in politicising an issue like terror acts.

What was needed was strict action against terrorists but the present regime lacked the political will to fight the menace, the BJP president said, while addressing the party’s “Bhanda Phod” (expose the UPA government ) rally at Jyotiba Phule Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.

He said the terror groups felt emboldened to plan more attacks as the Centre preferred to play vote bank politics. Mr. Singh said terrorist attacks also occurred when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power at the Centre, but there was a world of difference between the approach of the Vajpayee government and the Manmohan Singh government.

By enforcing laws like the POTA, the NDA had shown its commitment to curb the problem, he said. The BJP president slammed the UPA government for going ahead with the India-U.S. nuclear deal. He said the people were being misled on the issue of nuclear energy as the cost per unit of electricity would go up to Rs. 8. He alleged that unlike Mr. Vajpayee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had succumbed to U.S. pressure. The BJP was not against friendly cooperation with the U.S., but the ties should be based on equality.

Unlike the NDA government, the UPA regime had failed to contain the price spiral.

Assailing the Centre for devaluing Parliament in the “cash for vote” controversy, Mr. Singh said that around 49 MPs were given allurements for backing the trust motion.