BJP says govt soft on terror

NEW DELHI: Ridiculing Congress' demand for an apology from L K Advani for his remarks against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the BJP on Saturday hit back saying the government has become "soft" on terror.

Terming the demand for apology as "curious" and "comical", BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said Congress has not given any response to Advani's comments on Singh's observations.

Advani had taken exception to Singh's remarks that he had lost sleep when he saw on television the relatives of accused in the failed terror attack in the UK breaking down. He accused the government of not being tough on terror.

After charges against Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef of alleged involvement in the terror plot were dropped by the Australian authorities, Congress asked Advani to apologise.

Reacting to the demand for an apology, Prasad said,"It is our consistent stand that there should be no victimization of innocent and law should be applied fairly but the larger issue is the highly selective way in which Singh looses his sleep."

The BJP spokesman wanted to know if Singh "ever realised" that this entire spurt in terror violence is because the government under his leadership has "deliberately become soft on terror."