Rajnath lashes out at UPA on POTA repeal

New Delhi, Sep 29 (UNI) Stressing the need to strengthen anti-terror laws to help police battle terrorists, BJP President Rajnath Singh today alleged that the UPA had not taken note of suggestions of its own Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) on the need for strong legislation to curb the menace.

In his keynote address on ''Role of Youth in Maintenance of Internal Security'' at the Faculty of Law in Delhi University, the BJP President said it would be difficult for the country to fight terrorism with the help of existing laws, which had easy bail provisions. The ARC headed by Congress Spokesman and former Karnataka Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily, had suggested the need for an anti-terror law in its recent report.

The BJP leader said at a time when democracies around the globe were enacting stringent anti-terror laws, it was only India under the UPA, which had done away with even the existing POTA, adding that the Government should have amended POTA to make it tough instead of dubbing it as 'a failed law'.

He said the government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was playing around with the national security, to pander its vote bank.

It had even failed to evolve a consensus on the need for a anti-terror law, when Jehadi terrorists conducted serial blasts across the country, killing innocent people.

Even a report of the State Department of the United States conceded that India was the 'worst sufferer' because of terrorism in 2007, he said.

He blamed a section of the political parties and social activists for extending support to banned organisations like SIMI. Terrorism was no longer confined to poorer sections as the terror perpetrators were recruiting youth of well educated and economically-sound families, he said.

Attacking Jamia Millia Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan for announcing legal support to the students, suspected to be involved in blasts in Delhi and other places, Mr Singh said the nation should be above individual faith and beliefs.

He said anti India forces also wanted to harm Indian economic sphere by pumping in nearly Rs 100 crore worth fake currencies in the country. Mr Singh said the UPA government had belatedly acknowledged the damage caused by the entry of illegal money through Participatory notes.

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