Congress lacks will to face terrorism; alleges BJP

New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) The BJP today accused the Congress of making itself the laughing stock on the issue of terrorism, oscillating between a federal agency and POTA like legislation to face the menace.

In the past one week, the Congress had changed its stand several times on the need to have either a federal agency or a tough anti-terror law to tackle the problem. One senior minister of the UPA Government talked about the necessity to set up a federal agency to face terrorists who mastermind their operations at different places. But the very next day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the suggestion, apparently anticipating opposition from state governments, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

Similarly, the Administrative Reform Commission headed by Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily suggested to formulate a POTA like anti-terror law, but Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi turned down the proposal.

The BJP would like to know "what is the stand of the Congress" to tackle terrorists who were striking at will throughout the country, Mr Javadekar said.

He said there had been no terrorist attack in US after the 9/11 incident and the credit for it goes to US President George Bush who showed the political will and resolve to curb terrorism, while such will was lacking in the Manmohan Singh Government, he added.

There had been at least 50 odd terrorist strikes in the country in the past four and a half years, in which hundreds of people were killed. But UPA's ministers were still maintaining their position in the Cabinet despite supporting SIMI, a banned organisation.

"Half-hearted approach and without a concrete plan, nothing can be achieved on this front," the BJP leader said.

On a question whether BJP would support the proposal for a federal agency, Mr Javadekar said "We can give our opinion only after the proposal becomes concrete." UNI KAS AKJ PM1733