Politics must not delay Afzal's execution: BJP

New Delhi, Oct 11: Citing the Supreme Court verdict in the case of Andhra Pradesh MLA's husband who was granted clemency, the BJP today asserted that terrorist Afzal Guru, the main conspirator of Parliament attack, December 2001, should be hanged on October 20, as ordered by the apex court.

"Clemency shall not be granted on political considerations and execution shall not be delayed on political considerations," noted lawyer and BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley said today.

After the Supreme Court's verdict, rejecting the clemency recommendations by Andhra Pradesh Government in the case of the husband of the MLA, there was no case left with the Union Government to show any leniency in Afzal's case, Mr Jaitley said.

"The court has observed that neither religion nor politics can be ground for granting clemency. Besides, judicial process, fair or unfair, cannot be reviewed by the Executive," Mr Jaitley said.

He demanded the resignations of Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde who was then Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy who had granted pardon to the Congress MLA's husband.

The BJP leader said, the Apex Court had every power to review the pardon granted to a convict. In this verdict, it had clearly set the guidelines for consideration of clemency petitions ''for all times to come," he said, adding any kind of delay in the case of Afzal Guru would be fraught with dangers.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the BJP would launch from tomorrow a nation-wide campaign to press for implementation of the death sentence awarded to Afzal as per schedule on October 20. For the first three days, the party's state units would submit a memorandum to the Governors requesting ''timely'' execution of the terrorist. Between October 15 and 19, the party would organise demonstrations at all district and tehsil headquarters and on October 20, it would ''symbolically hang the terrorist'' in several places across the country.

Mr Javadekar said, the BJP would not tolerate any compromise on the issue of terrorism, asserting those who wage a war against the country should be dealt with severely. The political factors such as effect of the execution on the Indo-Pak Peace Process and the possible violence in Kashmir valley could not be the basis for consideration for any pardon, he added.

Mr Javadekar also said N D Apte in the case of Mahatma Gandhi assissination and Kehar Singh in the Indira Gandhi assassination case had also not "pressed the trigger themselves", but both were hanged.

Besides Jinda, killer of former Army Chief Gen A S Vaidya, was also hanged after rejecting his clemency petition in 13 hours, he added.

UNI

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