Date:03/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120360791300.htm

National

Arun Jaitley warns of disaster

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Arun Jaitley warned here on Tuesday of yet another national disaster as intelligence and security agencies began indulging in a blame game following the Mumbai terror attacks.

He also said that strengthening of the National Security Act by adding a few clauses or even a chapter would not and could not be a substitute for a strong terror law like the repealed Prevention of Terrorism Act as the NSA was a “preventive detention” law while POTA was a “punitive law” under which terrorists could be charge sheeted, tried and prosecuted.

He said the entire edifice of the intelligence gathering system would collapse if this blame game was allowed to continue.

He said that if the National Security Adviser, the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing start passing the buck through leaks to newspaper columnists to exonerate themselves and fix responsibility on others, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

When a reporter asked whether the BJP was afraid of the government actually taking some drastic action against Pakistan — which the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government failed to do after thee attack on Parliament — Mr. Jaitley did not respond at once.

He then smiled and said: “It is for the government to take action. We are talking about internal matters.”