India has become a soft state under UPA: BJP

NEW DELHI: Attacking the government for not doing enough to effectively deal with the problem of terrorism and naxalism, the Opposition BJP today said India under the UPA has become a soft state.

Initiating the discussion on demands for grants of Home Ministry, BJP member Anurag Thakur demanded a White Paper on government's initiative to deal with naxalism, which has become a big threat to the nation.

"We have become a soft state because we have failed to hang Afzal Guru...This is the condition of our state", he said, while referring to the failure of the government to execute capital punishment awarded to the Parliament terror attack convict.

The BJP member wanted to know from the government as to what it was going to do with Guru who was given death penalty by the apex court eight years ago.

On the issue of fighting naxalism, Thakur said it was ironical that Opposition was with Home Minister P Chidambaram, but a section of UPA was against him.

Thakur said a Congress general secretary had written an article saying "Home Ministry is suffering from intellectual arrogance".

According to the BJP member, "if the government is divided, UPA is divided...how can you face Maoism and naxalism?"