Asserting that there should be zero tolerance against terrorism, L K Advani sought to build a strong case for revival of POTA claiming it was a "mild law".
NEW DELHI: Asserting that there should be zero tolerance against terrorism, BJP's PM candidate L K Advani on Saturday sought to build a strong case for revival of POTA claiming it was a "mild law" as compared to prevalent laws in other countries.
Besides POTA incorporates all suggestions made by the Supreme Court, he said addressing a national seminar on terrorism. He alleged there has been a five fold increase in the number of people killed and injured in terror incidents after the revocation of the law.
"All precautions suggested by the Supreme Court on TADA were incorporated in POTA. After all there are many other laws like the dowry law and the untouchability law which needs one to prove his innocence," he said.
Making a strong pitch for the law which was repealed by the Congress-led coalition soon after assuming power in 2004, he said, "we will enact POTA and hope congress will support it this time as many of its functionaries have come out openly in support of it."
"We are also concerned about human rights. We would not like our image of a vibrant democracy to be sullied. It would be wrong for the problem to be identified with a religion. Rather it could also prove counter productive," Advani said, criticising the UPA government which had dubbed POTA as a draconian measure which was biased against the minorities.
Advani sought to clarify that his party's anti-terror drive was not directed against any particular religion as it is not only "wrong" but could also "counter productive" to think so.
Stating that over 80 thousand people have been killed due to terror attacks in the last three decades of "proxy war" he said, the warning bells are "loud and clear that our response lacks political will" despite the fact that the nation's internal security stands seriously threatened.
"The Congress party is keeping its eyes wide shut, choosing not to see nor to strike, all for the fear of losing its vote-bank," he charged.
Advani also favoured the setting up of a federal anti-terror agency.
He claimed that the attitude of "zero tolerance" towards terror was first manifested by the Vajpayee regime during the Indo-Pak Agra summit when "we said nothing going if terrorism is not a part of the joint statement."
The former deputy Prime Minister said he had even asked former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to hand-over Dawood Ibrahim who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
"Conventional war has become economically untenable and hence the neighbouring nations have promoted terrorism which is
a low-cost warfare and is guided by anti-India ideology," he said.
"We can see this clearly from what both Pakistan and Bangladesh have been doing to us. Neither can match India's military strength. Yet, they have been threatening India with cross-border terrorism," Advani claimed.
"The contrast between the NDA and UPA is clear. One cares for the country while other cares for its vote-bank. It seems the does not exist," Advani claimed.
The saffron party leader also sought to lash out at writers including Arundhati Roy for their "obnoxious writings" which he said "contributes to the present situation."
He also sought to warn the country against the "deliberate ploy of maligning the security forces employed by civil society supporters of terrorist outfits."
He called on the intellectual and literary community to strongly condemn such "anti-national pronouncements, which are being given legitimacy by pseudo secularists."
"It is not a divide between the secularists and the communalists. It is a divide between people who want to fight terror and those who don't want to fight terror," he said.
He noted that "while enemies of the nation are uniting and co-ordinating their actions, it is sad that narrow electoral considerations are standing in the way of political parties and governments giving a concreted fight to the menace of terrorism."
Advani was delivering the opening address at a seminar organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhani here.
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