BJP attacks govt over Afzal,says copybook case of vote bank politics

The party has often used the case of Afzal to accuse the Congress of playing the minority card.

After raising objections to Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Councils draft of the communal violence Bill virtually terming it as anti-Hindu,the BJP on Friday got another issue of its liking to attack the UPA government. With President Pratibha Patil rejecting the mercy pleas of two convicts on the death row,the party promptly raised the issue of delay in execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The main Opposition party said the Presidents decision exposed the UPA governments argument all along that it would follow the queue in deciding mercy pleas. BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad pointed out that the plea of sequencing was not followed in the latest decision and alleged that the delay in disposal of the mercy petition of Guru was a copybook case of vote bank politics being pursued by the Congress.

Prasad,in fact,sought to know which law authorises the government to decide that consideration of mercy petitions would be done only in sequence. Cases of heinous crimes are often fast tracked. The Supreme Court has fast tracked the 2G case while thousands of other cases are pending before it. In fact,Afzal Gurus case was also fast tracked, he said.

We would like to know when would Afzal Guru be hanged and how long a decision on his mercy plea will be delayed, Prasad asked. The BJP has often used the case of Afzal to accuse the Congress of playing the minority card and with Uttar Pradesh elections just a year away,the party would like to keep the issue alive as also highlight its objections to the communal violence bill to appeal to the core Hindu votebank.

The party also reiterated its opposition to the draft communal violence bill prepared by the NAC. Prasad asked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to clarify whether the majority community can become victims of communal violence.