Statement of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
National Spokesperson & MP

Date: 08/04/2009
Ashutosh Kumar Singh

New Delhi

The tall claims made by Home Minister Shri P. Chidambram regarding the Congress pledge to “protect India from terror”, is absolutely hollow. The Government headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh has been in power for the last nearly five years and before making any future pledge, it was incumbent to explain as to what has meaningfully done in the last five years. Therefore, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister must provide answer to the following critical questions.

1. The plea of pardon of Afzal Guru before the President is now pending for the last two and a half years. Such power is to be exercised by the President upon the advice of the Union Cabinet. He has been found guilty up to Supreme Court in one of the worst case of terrorist violence and given capital punishment. Even his review and curative petition before the Supreme Court has been rejected. Why the Government of the Congress both in Delhi and in the Centre is sitting over the matter and for what purpose?

2. The removal of POTA , the Anti-terror special law, held as constitutionally valid by the Supreme Court, was described as a big achievement, which only emboldened the terrorist. All the security experts including the National Security Advisor openly advocated the need for a strong anti-terror law. Yet, it was only after the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai that such a law in a different form was enacted. In this also many vital provisions required in the fight against terror were not incorporated. Why?

3. Pakistan over the years had become the epicentre of world terror. Any terrorist attack in any part of the world had some Pakistani linkage. The NDA Government headed by Shri Vajpayee for the first time forced Pakistan and the then President Gen. Musarraf to formally agree in January 2004 that Pakistan will not permit its soil to be used for any terrorist attack against India. This agreement was forgotten by the UPA Government and Dr. Manmohan Singh in the worst case of diplomatic disaster described Pakistan as a “victim of terror”. What message was sought to be given?

4. It is too well known that infiltration from Bangladesh constitutes a serious threat to national security. The IMDT a discriminatory Act brought by the Congress Government was quashed by the Supreme Court in July 2005 and while doing so declared that the State of Assam is facing “external aggression and internal disturbance on account of large scale illegal migration of Bangladeshi nationals. It directed that it is the duty of the Union to take all measures for protection of State of Assam as enjoined in Article 355 of the Constitution.
Instead of following the judgement the UPA Government purely for vote bank politics, issued orders which brought back the IMDT from the back door which again made any deportation of illegal immigrants difficult. Again when it was challenged in the Supreme Court in Dec. 2006 the Supreme Court quashed the notifications passed strictures by commenting as follows: “Though, we would normally desist from commenting when the security of the nation is the issue as highlighted in Sonowal, we have to say that the bonafides of the action leaves something to be desired”. In many terrorist attacks infiltrators have been found to be involved as facilitators. Why the Supreme Court judgement was sought to be undone?

5. This is the deplorable record of the Congress in the Centre and also in Assam where it is ruling for the last nearly eight years and playing worst political games in a very sensitive State. Under the NDA strong steps were taken against ULFA. There leaders were on the run. In proper combination with the Government of Bhutan there camps were also destroyed. After the UPA has come to power in 2004 there has been practically no effective action against ULFA in Assam because it is widely believed that some elements in that group give political support to the Congress there. Mr. Chidambaram why you are silent on the repeated killing of innocent people in Assam in particular and when your statement acknowledged that attack could not be prevented in spite of information about the vulnerable period in between March 16, and April 07 (the so called raising day).

6. The NDA Government after completing the border fencing on the western sector had initiated the border fencing on the eastern sector at a cost of nearly 1500 Crores on a war footing. Under the UPA the work has come to a near halt. Why?

7. During the NDA regime for the first time Rs. 1000 Crores was given to each States for modernisation of State Police. The entire claim of reducing the number of direct recruit in the IPS by Mr. Advani as Home Minister as alleged by Mr. Chidambaram is misleading. The strength of cadre is determined as per procedure fixed under the IPS (Fixation of cadre strength) regulation 1995 while under the Indian Police Service (recruitment) Rules 1954, how much would be appointed by direct recruitment and how much by promotion from the State Police Service into the IPS is to be done in consultation with State Government concerned depending upon the cadre strength. The record of Mr. Advani for the modernisation of central para military forces when he was the Home Minister is indeed exemplary when he sanctioned Rs. 3740 Crores for the same.

The Country is entitled to know the answer to the above burning issues. Under the Congress led UPA in the last 5 years repeated signals have been given to terrorist and their patrons in side the country and outside that strong action against them is tradable for votes.