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Congress targets Advani again

NEW DELHI: For the second day on Friday, the Congress countered Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L. K. Advani’s criticism of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on the internal security front.

It fielded Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal who questioned Mr. Advani’s performance as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime.

While stoutly defending the UPA government’s policies and approach in tackling terrorism and three trouble spots so far as internal security is concerned — Jammu and Kashmir, North-Eastern States and the naxal problem — Mr. Jaiswal repeatedly referred to Mr. Advani as “Prime Minister in Waiting.” He accused Mr. Advani of trying to stoke the flames of communalism and create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the people by raising such issues time and again.

“I earnestly hope that the Prime Minister-in-waiting realises that he is attempting to grab the Prime Minister’s chair by whipping up feelings of tension and fear among the people. It will only lead the country to the path of destruction. I ask him who will become the Prime Minister if India stands divided and destroyed, if India remains united and strong there will be many more chances of occupying the Prime Minister’s post,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

Questioning the erstwhile government’s record in tackling terrorism, Mr. Jaiswal said that even the most well protected Parliament House was attacked by terrorists and so were Akshardham and Raghunath temples and the Red Fort and the assemblies of Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir. “When India’s Foreign Minister accompanied three terrorists to Kandahar, did it not tarnish our image?”

Taking on the BJP leader’s criticism of the UPA government in not taking Afzal Guru to the gallows for his role in Parliament terror attack case, the Minister said the NDA regime took eight long years in deciding matters of those sentenced in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. “Any decision on a mercy petition goes through a complicated process. It takes time to invite comments from several State governments, taking the opinion of Union Law Ministry and making a recommendation in the Home Ministry for being forwarded to the President,” he explained.

Mr. Jaiswal had a comment or two to offer on the situation in Mumbai where violence against North Indians had started earlier this week. He hailed the arrest in Nepal of “kidney kingpin” Amit Kumar who was likely to be extradited to India soon.

“I strongly condemn the incidents in Mumbai. Any citizen of our country can live anywhere he chooses to and we have asked the Maharashtra government to take strict action against those found targeting any person or group. It is a political conspiracy of a political outfit. If any person needs to be arrested, the State government will take such steps,” he added.

Referring to the naxal violence, he said the Centre had given 33 battalions of Central forces to the naxal-violence affected States of which Chhattisgarh was given 13 battalions. .

Calling for stern action against naxal cadres by State governments, Mr. Jaiswal said that the UPA government has “well-coordinated internal mechanism” of convening review meetings at several levels, including at the level of the Chief Ministers. He alleged that there was no policy during the NDA regime to tackle the naxal problem.

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