Shankersinh Vaghela says existing law enough to tackle terror

Ahmedabad, Jul 27 (UNI) Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela today said the existing law in the country was good enough to meet the challenges posed by terror groups.

Talking to mediapersons after visiting various hospitals to know about the condition of the injured in yesterday's serial bomb blasts, the minister emphasised that ''will of the government is the need to face terrorism''. Citing an example, he said MCOCA was in force in Maharashtra, where terrorists had targeted suburban trains, two years back.

Mr Vaghela said it is not the time for political allegations, while condemning the serial blasts in the city.

He announced complete cooperation from the central government to the state of Gujarat. He said it was surprising that Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in his public speeches, had thrown a challenge to the terror groups to strike here and they had given the answer to his challenge yesterday wherein many innocent people had lost their lives.

After abolition of POTA, the state government came up with Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill in 2003, a Maharashtra type anti-terror law which is pending with the President for the past four years. BJP leaders are demanding the approval of GUJCOC, he said.

He said despite a red alert sounded by the Central government immediately after the Bangalore serial blasts to all major cities across the country, Gujarat government had failed to meet the challenges from the terrorist groups.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had rushed a team of AICC office bearers along with Mr Vaghela to Ahmedabad to extend all possible help to the affected people.

Meanwhile, GPCC President Sidhharth Patel said Congress would organize a silent march tomorrow from Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Income Tax circle to the District collectorate and submit a memorandum to the Collector against the terror strike in Ahmedabad and State government's failure on the law and order front.

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