Advani's adjournment on internal security defeated

New Delhi, Nov 29: The adjournment motion on internal security situation, moved in the Lok Sabha by Leader of Opposition L K Advani, was tonight defeated by a voice vote amid a walk out by the BJP-led NDA as the government refused to give a commitment to bring back a law like the POTA to deal with terrorism.

Replying to a five-hour long debate on the issue, Home Minister Shivraj Patil asserted that the law and order situation in the country had improved and listed out the steps being taken to strengthen internal security system.

He said the situation even in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Naxal-affected states have shown overall improvement. The government has plans to modernise and strengthen the police force as well as the intelligence network.

The Home Minister said the approach of the UPA government was to win over the confidence of the people, which went a long way in supporting the official machinery to combat terrorism.

Denying remarks attributed to him to the effect that there was threat to nuclear installations in the wake of Indo-US nuclear treaty, Mr Patil said he was misquoted.

Referring to the criticism of the BJP for repealing POTA, Mr Patil was non-commital whether the government would bring back a similar law and said if a law was too stringent, it could be misused.

In this context, he pointed out that some of the provisions in the POTA had been incorporated in the new Unlawful Activities Act.

Dissatisfied with the approach of the government on the Afzal hanging issue, Mr Advani announced that the Opposition would not pariticpate in the voting on the adjournment motion and led his colleagues in the Opposition out.

He said he would not have brought the adjournment motion, if the Home Minister had not made such a ''dangerous'' statement regarding threat to the country from all sides - air, sea and land.

Mr Advani urged the government not to delay on the Cabinet's advice to the President on the issue of clemency to Afazal,adding that the Council of Ministers was entitled to do so. He asked the government to take into account the state of the families who were martyred in the attack on Parliament.

Besides, Mr Advani said that while he did not agree with the setting of a Joint mechansim between India and Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, he would want the government not to dilute the focus on cross-boder terrorism in any negotiations with the neighbour.

He said setting up of the Joint mechanism was giving vent to the view that even Pakistan is affected by the menace of terrorism.

Mr Advani began his winding up speech by saying that India's strength was its pluralism, democracy and secular traditions.

In a clear reference to the BJP's agitation over the delay in hanging Parliament attack conspirator, Mr Patil said there was no need for any "extra-anxiety" over the issue and the law would take its own course. He appealed to all concerned not to create a situation which was not useful for communal harmony in the country.

Mr Patil assured the house that the government would behave only constitutionally and there was no need for any extra-constitutional pressure on those who had to give his opinion on the issue. "Please wait for some time...please have faith and confidence.." In this context, he said only one person was hanged in the last five years. "We have cases pending since 1997. The accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case was also kept pending for nearly five years.

Referring to the criticism of the Opposition MPs that the law and order situation had worsened in Jammu and Kashmir and in the North East, Mr Patil said that the figures had showed that incidents had come down there.

As far as North East was concerned, he said the situation had improved there, though no to the level of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Overall there is slight improvement....definitely the situation has not worsened." The situation is little worse in Nagaland because of the conflict between tribals.

Mr Patil said the naxalism-affected states have shown improvement in the law and order situation. However, the situation is alarming in Chhattisgarh where incidents have gone up to 70 per cent and killings by 40 per cent.

He said he was not blaming the state government in Chhattisgarh for the deteriorating situation. However, the centre had been extending all help to the state to overcome the situation.

Referring to the communal situation in the country, he said there was improvement in this area also. Congratulating the people on maintaining communal harmony during the times of terrorist attacks on religious places at Varanasi, Delhi and Malegaon and in Mumbai, he said ''the communal situation is controlled by the people more than the forces''.

On talks with United LIberation Front of Asom, he said the government was of the stand that it would talk to anybody who was willing to abjure violence.

UNI