POTA necessary to crush terrorism: Jaswant

Chennai, Jul 28 (UNI) Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh today agreed that a POTA like legislation was necessary to contain terrorist acts in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Singh, when asked if the BJP was for revival of POTA as pointed out by AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, said ''POTA is the symbol of attitude to terrorism.'' Alleging that the UPA Government at the Centre had failed to tackle terrorism with an iron hand as evidenced again in the wake of the serial bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, he said ''Terrorism has to be confronted with zero tolerance. This is the BJP's position.'' The former External Affairs and Defence Minister charged the UPA Government at the Centre with ''misgoverning'' on this count and handling the situation ''irresponsibly'' for electoral advantage.

''You have to create zero tolerance against terrorism. POTA is an instrument for creating this. It is not a political issue or an issue of rhetoric,'' he observed.

Asked if the BJP governments in States like Gujarat and Karnataka have become soft targets for terrorist acts as seen in the bomb blasts three days ago, he said ''May be...But the election of BJP Governments in these states was a political choice made by the people.'' Mr Singh alleged that the Congress had aligned with the Maoists in Andhra Pradesh, ULFA in Assam and had created uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir by its alliance with the PDP, which had association with anti-national elements.

He also alleged that countries like Pakistan, Tibet and China have been constantly claiming land which was rightfully India's.

Apart from internal security, the country was also confronted by multiple crises like legitimacy of Parliament, as seen during the trust vote in which the UPA government had ''engineered'' numerical majority, and economic crisis like spiralling food prices and shortage of fertilisers, he said.

UNI VV GD RJ RK1920