BJP condemns Del Govt for delay in decision on Afzal's hanging

New Delhi, Mar 21 (UNI) BJP Delhi Pradesh In charge and Chairman of the party's Election Campaign Committee V K Malhotra today condemned the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in Delhi for delay in giving its decision on Afzal guru's hanging.

The Supreme Court had awarded capital punishment to ''dreaded terrorist'' Afzal who was the main convict in the Parliament attack case, in which nine security personnel were killed. But the Delhi government which had been asked for its opinion on a mercy plea by Afzal, was sitting over the file, he told mediapersons.

Afzal had made a clemency appeal to the president and the president's office forwarded the file to the union home ministry, which had in turn sought the state government's opinion.

Usually the state government should have returned the file with its comments within one or two days. But Delhi government had been sitting on the file for several months, he said.

The Supreme Court had also awarded capital punishment to the murderer of General Vaidya. His clemency petition was rejected within 14 hours by the state and the central governments and he was hanged.

But the conspiracy to suppress the file regarding hanging of Afzal, a Pakistani citizen, who had attacked the symbol of Indian democracy and murdered several securitymen was condemnable, Mr Malhotra added.

If the Congress government of Delhi did not return the file to the Centre with recommendation to hang Afzal by the end of April then the people of Delhi would announce their 'punishment' for this ''sedition'' by voting against it on April 5 (Delhi municipal polls), he claimed.

UNI