'Soft approach' causing terror attacks: Rajnath

A day after terrorists orchestrated their latest attack in the country, targeting the industrial city of Ludhiana, the BJP blamed the Manmohan Singh government’s nimble-footed approach for its failure to contain “jehadi” strikes.

The Congress-led government’s soft approach towards the issue, best exemplified by the decisions to repeal Pota and adopt a slew of measures to appease the minorities, the BJP maintained, had emboldened the various “jehadi” groups to raise the pitch of their campaign across the country.

“The entire country is worried about the rise in terrorist violence across the country. This is because terrorists believe that India has become a soft state under the Congress-led UPA government,” BJP president Rajnath Singh told newspersons here on Monday afternoon.

“The security forces and the intelligence agencies are feeling hamstrung, and their hands have been tied, in spite of the availability of credible intelligence that demands prompt action. The government insists that they first come up with sufficient evidence and then take appropriate action. the security forces and the intelligence agencies are now beginning to lose confidence and are feeling a sense of helplessness because of the government's approach,” Mr Singh alleged.

The BJP president came down heavily on the National Security Advisor, alleging that he was doing nothing but creating scare among the people with his frivolous remarks. “What is the accountability and responsibility of the NSA and his team, working directly under the PMO? He is only acting as a scare-monger. What concrete and specific steps are being taken to effectively counter terrorism? It is high time that responsibility is fixed by the prime minister,” Mr Singh demanded.

He did not spare the union home ministry either. “The least we speak about it, the better it’ll be. It only predicts. And, on the other hand, the NSA only triggers a sense of fear whenever he speaks,” the BJP leader said. The saffron outfit, at the same time, asked the Centre to convene a meeting of chief ministers and DGPs to finalise a joint strategy for combating jehadi strikes across the country.

The party reiterated its demand for the enactment of a strong and effective anti-terror law. “The BJP will support any initiative and bill in Parliament that seeks to strengthen our legal framework to counter terrorism effectively,” Mr Singh asserted.