Congress backs Patil on Afzal remark

New Delhi, May 22 : A day after Home Minister Shivraj Patil's statement that Sarabjit Singh's clemency petition could lose its strength if Afzal Guru is hanged, was objected to by the Bharatiya Janata Party, today secured support from the Congress today.

"If anything has been stated by the honourable Home Minister, how can you expect that another Cabinet colleague will differ from him on the whole issue?" asked Cabinet Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

Patil had said, "If you are asking for Afzal's hanging then how can you ask pardon for Sarabjit? What are you doing?"

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar contended that the Home Minister had neglected to remember the crucial divergences between the cases.

"Home Minister must know that the Sarabjit case is one of the mistaken identity and we are not defending the terrorist. Afzal Guru is a proven case of terrorism," Javadekar said.

ANI