“The nation expects Parliament to pass these bills in this session. Let us demonstrate our unity of purpose by passing these bills unanimously,” said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, after there was a suggestion by the BJP and Left to refer the bill to the Standing Committee.

“What we have done is to do more than adequate balance of requirements of investigating and prosecuting agency and the demands of human rights and the people of India for strong anti-terror laws,” the minister said, adding that the NIA would investigate offences under eight laws listed in its schedule and any acts that strike terror among people.

The Home Minister also informed the House that a meeting of CMs would be held on January 6 on the issue.

Earlier in the day, the House witnessed the two alliances trading charges over tools to fight terror, with the BJP taking potshots at the Congress’s “belated realisation” of the need for an anti-terror law and the Congress reminding it of the Kandahar hijack.

“Like Kumbahakaran, you have woken up after seven-eight years. I want you to realise that you were wrong (in not bringing a similar legislation earlier),” Leader of Opposition L K Advani said, arguing that there was a “fundamental flaw in the Congress’s approach towards terror”.

Referring to the recent Mumbai terror attacks and citing the 173rd Law Commission report, Advani emphasised for “admissibility of confessions as evidence” in various laws of terror.

“The law to fight terrorism is a law against terror. I hope you will not claim that the earlier law was communal while this one is secular. Keep these glasses aside and see (the anti-terror law) independently to combat terror,” said Advani. Chidambaram later said “all laws are secular laws. All criminal laws are secular laws”.

Leading the Congress charge, Union Minister Kapil Sibal intervened to say that it was the Congress that had introduced TADA and lost two of its illustrious leaders to terror.

The minister then reminded the BJP leader of the 1999 Kandahar hijack. “I want to remind the House about the plane that was taken from Amritsar to Kandahar (in Afghanistan). Maulana Masood Azhar after his release formed Jaish-e-Mohammed, which attacked Parliament. So Parliament was attacked because you (Advani) released him. You (Advani) should apologise as you were the Home Minister,” he said, a charge contested by BJP members.

“We learn from our experiences. We realised it in our course of implementation of TADA. We got it lapsed after we saw its misuse. You people took a leaf from TADA while formulating MCOCA. The way you have learnt we have also learnt, but that does not mean we have done a U-turn,” said Sibal.