Author: ET Bureau
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: December 2, 2008
URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/BJP_ready_for_federal_investigating_agency_but_wants_Pota_back_too/articleshow/3782020.cms
The BJP on Monday backed Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's proposal on the creation of a federal investigating agency to probe
terror attacks, but said at the same that creating such an organisation without
arming it with a tough anti-terror law would not serve the purpose.
"Forming a federal agency and enacting
a strong anti-terror law will be a step in the right direction," BJP
general secretary Arun Jaitley said here late on Monday afternoon. "We're
in support of such a move, but without a tough anti-terror law, such an agency
would be toothless. It cannot investigate terror crimes through ordinary laws.''
The BJP's response came a day after the prime
minister, while addressing the all-party meeting, reiterated the government's
proposal to set up a federal investigation agency to probe terror attacks.
But he side-stepped demands for formulating a muscular anti-terror law being
pushed vigorously by the BJP.
The principal opposition party found it strange
that the government managers were resisting the demand on the ground that
its provisions were too stringent and vulnerable to misuse.
``Confessions are already admissible in Fema,
NDPS Act and the Customs Act. Harsh bail provisions contained in Pota, which
was scrapped by the ruling UPA government after its advent to power at the
Centre, are identical to those contained in Mcoca, and are there in state
laws, NDPS Act and laws aimed at stopping crimes against Dalits,'' the former
union minister argued.
The BJP leader felt that the Congress had
been caught in a trap of its own making on the issue of enacting a tough anti-terror
law. ``Jihadi attacks took place even during the NDA rule. But no one accused
us of being soft on terror.
When we adopted a hard policy, the Congress
started a campaign describing our anti-terror policy as being anti-Muslim.
Once in power, they started reversing the policies adopted by their predecessors.
There is, thus, no way they can reverse their own policies. If they do so,
they risk alienating the Muslims, who were cultivated by the Congress as part
of their vote-bank politics,'' Mr Jaitley said.
The Congress, according to the BJP general
secretary, would have to decide its political future independent of the UPA.
``The moot point is: Is it willing to come out of this trap and adopt a tough
policy for the country's future,'' he wondered.
For the moment, the BJP is placing its bets
on the Congress going against such a course. ``There is no way it can alter
its course so long as it continues to view Muslims through the prism of vote-bank,''
Mr Jaitley asserted.
The BJP leader poked fun at the 'damage-limitation
exercise' initiated by the Manmohan Singh government in the aftermath of the
Mumbai terror attack as being cosmetic in nature. ``The prime minister knows
he's in deep trouble. There is a serious governmental crisis. We just hope
its not converted into a national crisis,'' he said.