UPA govt playing with national security :BJP

New Delhi, July 27 (UNI) The BJP-led Opposition today staged a walk out in the Lok Sabha, alleging that the government was ineffective in curbing penetration of terrorist elements into the defence forces and stopping Bangladesh from grabbing Indian land.

Raising the issue during zero hour, BJP Deputy leader V K Malhotra said the government should explain what steps it had taken to ensure that Indian defence forces were free from terrorist elements.

He also alleged that Bangladesh had grabbed two kms of land of India on the border.

Intervening, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee clarified that the soldiers picked up for having alleged links with the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were from the army.

The Opposition members were on their feet pointing out that his statement contradicted that by Home Minister Shivraj Patil made yesterday. Mr Patil told the RAjya Sabha yesterday that they were from the Indian Reserve(IR) battalions raised by states.

Alleging that the ministers were misleading the house through their contradicting reports, Mr Malhotra led his colleagues out.

Mr Mukherjee said today that there was no basis in the allegation that two terrorists had managed to gain entry into the Indian Air Force. "We have checked up and found it to be incorrect." He said three personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry had been seconded to the Rashtriya Rifles. Out of the three, two were arrested in June 2006 for their alleged links with a terrorist organisation. On the basis of their interrogation, one constable from the Jammu and Kashmir police was also arrested.

Mr Mukherjee said there was no question of misleading the house.

Earlier, Yogi Adityanath (BJP) allged that the UPA government had been playing with national security. "This is a dangerous trend." He said the political parties should stop giving clean chit to terrorist organisations.

UNI SH VD HT1355