Press Statement issued by BJP National Spokesperson
Shri Prakash Javadekar

BJP challenges Congress to spell out the action plan on how they are going to combat terrorism without POTA like stringent anti-terror law. The latest arrest of six Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) from Uttar Pradesh is a case in point. These fidayeen have confessed to their role in attack on CRPF camp in Rampur and attack on Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) in Bangalore along with their planning to attack BSE and Church Gate Station in Mumbai. Three of them are from Pakistan. But all these confessions are not admissible in court of law under present laws. Unless police comes out with direct evidences such cases can't be conclusive and most likely these terrorists will be on bail instead of being in jail. The inadequate provisions of our present day laws can't effectively deal with such a terrorist module in absence of a stringent anti-terror law. Law does not make confession admissible and the terrorist can't be put under detention for longer duration. Law can't effectively act against over ground supporters of such a module either.

POTA enables the custodial confessions admissible as evidence in court of law. Such terrorist can be detained for 180 days without presenting them in the courts. Investigating agency can withhold identity of witnesses. POTA was effective as far as action against over ground supporters of such a module, without whose sympathy and support the modules can't operate. POTA had a provision whereby presumption of guilt was made against accused. Without a POTA like act the agencies stand on loosing ground, as direct evidence in such cases is difficult to surface. India is the only country with high killings at the hands of terrorists without any anti-terror law.

Indian Government must raise issue of cross border terrorism with Pakistan, as many LET fidayeens from Pakistan are involved in recent terrorist attacks. The joint mechanism has miserably failed to tackle such problems.

Congress led UPA can't fight terrorism with proper legal, political, diplomatic response as its mindset is bogged down with political overtone of vote bank politics. Scrapping of POTA, relief package to dependents of terrorists and Prime Minister's infamous "Lost Sleep" over pains of suspected terrorists is the manifestation of such a mindset. The CMP of UPA does not mention any priority to fight terrorism.

Government's decision to offer relief package to dependents of terrorist amounts to the government rewarding the terrorists for killing our brave soldiers and innocent citizens. No country in the world supports tacitly those families, whose members have fought against the integrity of the country.

(Shyam Jaju)
Office Incharge