Patil says No to POTA-type law again
Amid fresh demands by BJP for a POTA-type law after the Jaipur blasts, the Centre today said it was "very clear" there will be no new anti-terror laws on the lines of the Prevention of Terrorism Act anywhere in the country.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Amid fresh demands by BJP for a POTA-type law after the Jaipur blasts, the Centre today said it was "very clear" there will be no new anti-terror laws on the lines of the Prevention of Terrorism Act anywhere in the country.
" We are very clear there will be no no fresh POTA-like legislation in any state," Home Minister Shivraj Patil told CNN-IBN in an interview while rejecting the demand to bring back POTA.
BJP leaders including its prime ministerial candidate L K Advani again rooted for enacting POTA-type laws following last week's Jaipur blasts that left 65 dead.
Patil said the present law of the land is tough enough without lending itself to "human rights violations as was the case in POTA."
Patil also took on the state governments for routinely faulting the Centre when any terror attack occured. Instead of blaming the central intelligence, state governments must take more responsibility, he said.
"After the Ajmer dargah blast, we had sent intelligence reports to all state governments, including the government of Rajasthan, that religious places could be targeted.
"Is it not the resonsibility of state governments to act on the ground level and improve the quality of their intelligence? Why should the state government take credit when a blast is foiled and blame the Centre when something goes wrong," he said.
About POTA, Patil observed "Are we saying that terrorism will end when POTA is brought back? Was there no no terrorism when the opposition was in power at the Centre and POTA was a law?
If you are fighting a tiger in a jungle, it is not not just enough to simply have a licence in your hand. You need more than just law to fight terrorism, you need to improve the entire police machinery and modernise it."
" We are very clear there will be no no fresh POTA-like legislation in any state," Home Minister Shivraj Patil told CNN-IBN in an interview while rejecting the demand to bring back POTA.
BJP leaders including its prime ministerial candidate L K Advani again rooted for enacting POTA-type laws following last week's Jaipur blasts that left 65 dead.
Patil said the present law of the land is tough enough without lending itself to "human rights violations as was the case in POTA."
Patil also took on the state governments for routinely faulting the Centre when any terror attack occured. Instead of blaming the central intelligence, state governments must take more responsibility, he said.
"After the Ajmer dargah blast, we had sent intelligence reports to all state governments, including the government of Rajasthan, that religious places could be targeted.
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"Is it not the resonsibility of state governments to act on the ground level and improve the quality of their intelligence? Why should the state government take credit when a blast is foiled and blame the Centre when something goes wrong," he said.
About POTA, Patil observed "Are we saying that terrorism will end when POTA is brought back? Was there no no terrorism when the opposition was in power at the Centre and POTA was a law?
If you are fighting a tiger in a jungle, it is not not just enough to simply have a licence in your hand. You need more than just law to fight terrorism, you need to improve the entire police machinery and modernise it."
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