In an apparent reference to Congress, Gadkari said 'Why should I apologise. People who have betrayed families of the martyrs killed in the Parliament attack should apologise.'
Defending his recent remark that Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was like a "son-in-law" for Congress, BJP president Nitin Gadkari today said there was no question of his tendering an apology over it.
"Not once, but I will utter it a thousand times," Gadkari told a party programme 'Mission 2020' here.
In an apparent reference to Congress, he said "Why should I apologise. People who have betrayed families of the martyrs killed in the Parliament attack should apologise."
Gadkari regretted there were no strong steps taken against terrorism. Even after the Supreme Court convicted Guru there was no punishment and it had been hanging fire for six years.
"Even after the Supreme Court order, why can't you hang him?" he asked.
He claimed that Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit had openly said she had not passed on the file (on Afzal Guru's death sentence) for four years because then Home Minister Shivraj Patil had asked him not to do so.
Afzal is on death row for over eight years after he was convicted of masterminding the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament.
Gadkari accused the UPA government of appeasing terrorists for vote bank politics and cautioned that soft approach towards them and Naxals was fraught with dangerous consequences.
"The internal and external security of the country is in danger. There is an atmosphere of fear in the country because of terrorist attacks as the government is soft in fighting the terrorists.
"Terrorists are terrorists. They have no religion and they will have to be tackled firmly. However, the UPA government is found to be seriously wanting in fighting terror," the BJP president said.
He also criticised the US government's policy towards the terrorists.
"America is providing support to Pakistan to tackle the Talibans but there is no guarantee that US assistance will not be used against India. My question to the US Ambassador to India met with no answer," Gadkari said.
Paying tributes to Bhartiya Jan Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Gadkari alleged that "despite economic packages being given to Jammu and Kashmir, the wrong thinking in 1947 and policies of the Congress and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had led to creation of problems in the Valley where terror incidents are taking place one after another".
On economic situation in the country, he alleged that "the wrong" economic policies and "bad governance" of the UPA government were responsible for inflation and unemployment.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was also present at the programme organised in connection with the 109th birth anniversary of
Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
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