Bangalore: : Countering the BJP advertisements accusing the Congress of being soft on terrorism, the Karnataka Congress released its own campaign highlighting the release of Maulana Masood Azhar by the previous BJP Government, following the IC-814 hijacking.

The Congress advertisements asked the question “which party’s External Affairs Minister accompanied dreaded terrorist Masud Azhar to Afghanistan to freedom”? For the answer it stated “BJP”.

The BJP, as part of its ad campaign, had released an ad on April 29, asking “why is Karnataka becoming a safe haven for terrorists”? The copy went on to blame the Congress’s minority appeasement policy for the growth of terrorism.

On Monday, following the release of the Congress advertisements, BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said the party “should realize that terrorists were released to save the lives of Hostages”. He questioned the Congress’s softness on the issue of the death sentence to Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Congress general secretary and Karnataka election-in-charge Prithviraj Chavan said the BJP had displayed a weak knee approach in releasing the terrorists in Afghanistan without informing its then deputy prime minister.

“The UPA will not negotiate with hostage takers at any cost. The larger cost of letting go the terrorists is the growth of terrorism,” he said.

Asked if the UPA Government will not intervene in the issue of a resident of Mangalore currently being held hostage in Afghanistan, Chavan said the no-negotiation stand only applied to the release of terrorists. “We are doing our best to obtain the release of the Mangalore person,” he said.

editor@expressindia.com