Congress demands white paper on Sangh Parivar organisations

New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) The Congress today demanded a ban on the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Sangh Parivar organisations, and favoured a white paper encompassing the activities of these organisations along with the SIMI.

"We believe these organisations act in a manner which is detrimental to the country's unity and integrity. We believe they act in a manner which undermines the basis of democracy, pluralism and secularism," AICC Spokesman Manish Tewari said here, while demanding that "these should be banned." He, however, added that it was for the government to decide whether they should be banned or not, on the basis of the inputs available with it.

Mr Tewari was reacting to the demand of BJP leaders L K Advani and Narendra Modi to publish a white paper giving all facts regarding the activities of organisations like SIMI which were endangering national security.

To a question, he said there was no change in the stand of the Congress that SIMI was a terrorist organisation.

When his attention was drawn to the demand of a few UPA allies like the LJP to lift the ban on the SIMI, Mr Tewari said he could not comment on the stands of other political parties.

The Spokesman accused Mr Advani of "double standards" for demanding a ban on SIMI, while remaining silent on other organisations indulging in anti-national activities.

On the demand of the BJP to scrap the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act and bring back the Prevention of Terrorists Act (POTA), Mr Tewari asked the BJP to explain what additional powers did they want.

In this context, he pointed out that almost all the provisions of the POTA were incorporated in the Unlawful Activities Act when it was passed by the present government in 2006.

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