Patil says existing laws are 'tough enough'

NEW DELHI: Within days of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that a new legislation to strengthen anti-terror law is being contemplated, Home Minister Shivraj Patil has said existing laws were "tough enough" to combat the menace.
     
"Laws can be helpful, machinery can be helpful. Existing laws are tough enough, useful enough. They have to be implemented more effectively, more correctly, more meticulously," he said.
      
The Prime Minister had said at the Governor's Conference here last week that the Government was actively considering legislation to further strengthen the substantive anti-terrorism law in line with the global consensus on the fight against the menace.
       
Patil said attempts to get political mileage on the issue would not help in stopping terror.
    
"Blasts took place in Maharashtra when MCOCA was in place. You will be surprised to know that there is a law in Delhi also. Yet blasts took place.
    
"If you are taking a political stand, it is not going to really help to stop terror," the Home Minister said.     

Asked about recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) that more stringent anti-terror laws are needed, he noted that the panel did suggest that but did not say in what fashion they should be.     

"I am not going say that I differ from the ARC," he added.
    
On the issue of a new minister for internal security, he said the Home Ministry already has a department for the purpose and a minister of state has been assigned the job.