UPA leaders has turned ''cheer leaders'' for terrorists: BJP

New Delhi, Aug 22 (UNI) Taking strong exception to political parties vying with each other to sympathise with the family of Mufti Abu Bashir, the alleged mastermind of Ahmedabad serial blasts that claimed 55 lives and injured over 150, the BJP today accused some leaders of political parties of turning 'cheer leaders' for terrorists to consolidate their vote bank.

BJP spokesman Rajeev Pratap Rudy regretted that while the people were happy about the way the suspects were brought to book even without a proper anti-terror law following the blasts, the visits of MPs like Ram Naresh Yadav of the Congress, Mr Abu Azmi of the SP to the residence of Bashir only made them a new brand of 'cheer leaders' of terror. The BSP MP Akbar Ahmed too was at the doorsteps of Bashir and his party had distanced itself from the UPA only recently, he said.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Fertilisers Minister Ramvilas Paswan were happy when the ban on the SIMI was lifted while the suspect himself had confessed about his involvement in the blasts, Mr Rudy said.

Now the ruling coalition MPs did not mind shaking hands and sympathise with terror if it brought their parties some votes, he charged. Should these leaders not realise that their expression of sympathy with the family of terrorists would tantamount to posing hurdles for the judicial process, he said.

He alleged that Home Minister Shivraj Patil was refusing to call the spade a spade when he is not ready to denounce terrorists and called as 'misguided boys'.

His Ministry was yet to take action on the mercy petition filed by the convict in the Parliament attack case, he said.

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