Rajnath exhorts parties to shun vote bank politics

Faizabad, Nov 24: Against the backdrop of the serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh, BJP today called upon all the political parties to shun ''vote bank politics'' and unitedly fight terrorism.

Talking to newspersons here, BJP president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh maintained that terrorism had become a national challenge and all the political parties need to mount a concerted fight on it.

''To combat terrorism, we will have to eschew vote bank politics,'' he underlined after taking stock of the situation in the aftermath of the yesterday's blasts here.

Mr Singh warned that the whole country was in the grip of terrorism and it posed a big threat to its integrity.

''The biggest Indian state UP has also come under the grip of terrorism,'' he regretted.

The former union agriculture minister noted that all the political parties were engaging in allegations and cross allegations over the serial bomb blasts.

''While UP CM Mayawati has termed the incident as a failure of the central intelligence agencies, the Congress-led UPA government at the centre is blaming the state intelligence network for the blasts.'' He said allegations and counter allegations on the issue was not prudent and appropriate at the moment.

Mr Singh said the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had framed anti-terror law POTA, which the incumbent UPA had repealed. ''The terrorists have become audacious after the repeal of POTA,'' he claimed. The BJP chief, further said if the central government brings any law against terrorism, his party will support it in both the houses of Parliament.

He charged that the country was facing danger due to the lax policies of the centre.

''Terrorism has long been getting support from Pakistan and Bangladesh...the centre should take some initiative on this front also,'' he advised.

Lauding the lawyers' community, Mr Singh said their decision not to represent the terrorists before the court was praiseworthy.

BJP national secretary Vinay Katiyar also accompanied Mr Singh.

The two leaders met those injured in hospital.

UNI