Modi favours stronger laws to strengthen anti-terror mechanism

New Delhi, Dec 20 (UNI) Accusing the UPA government of softpedalling the issue of terrorism, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today called for enacting stringent laws to strengthen anti-terror mechanism, and demanded that the Centre come out with a White Paper to deal with the scourge in a decisive and effective manner.

''While anti-terror mechanisms are being strengthened and terror laws being made stringent all over the world, our country has even abolished the POTA,'' Mr Modi said, addressing a conclave of Chief Ministers on Internal Security, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The chief minister also expressed resentment over the Centre's refusal to approve GUJCOC (Gujarat Control of Organised Crimes), a law he said would help the state government deal with terrorism effectively.

''The time has now come for a White Paper on terrorism as the existing policy to deal with such issues seems to be ambiguous and incoherent,'' he said.

Mr Modi disagreed with the idea that terrorism was nourished by poverty, and cited the case of Punjab, a prosperous state that suffered the brunt of the scourge in the recent past.

''Terrorism is a problem of ideology and an attitude of intolerance towards life,'' he argued.

On the issue of Naxalite movement, he said it was not a localised issue and had the potential to create widespread subversion in the country. ''It is high time the Government of India evolved a clear policy to deal with this issue... This is the proxy war and it should be handled more carefully.'' Pointing out that Gujarat had so far remained unaffected by the Naxal menace, he said the Centre should hammer out a two-pronged stratgey, one for the Naxalite-affected areas and the other for preventing the spread of the menace in the vulnerable areas through preventive measures.

MORE UNI