Amritsar, November 3
Difference of opinion between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani on whether there should be a national consensus on the issue of terrorism or terrorism be made the main plank for contesting the ensuing Assembly and civic elections in some states were apparent at the two-day national executive committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party which ended here this afternoon.
The party President, Mr Jana Krishnamurthi, who briefed media- persons about the deliberations, however, held that “one should not see a difference where, there is none. The executive, he said, had adopted a resolution on terrorism and decided to observe November 18 as national unity against terrorism day” to mobilise public opinion in support of POTO which was expected to face stiff opposition from some Opposition parties during the winter session of Parliament on November 19.
“I feel that a consensus would be reached,” the BJP chief said.
Views expressed by some senior party leaders, including Union Ministers, that those opposing POTO were in a way supporting terrorism, are certainly not in the line of thinking of the Prime Minister, who during his concluding address wanted that efforts be made to generate a consensus on vital issues, including the fight against terrorism.
A section of the party wants to use terrorism as the main plank, arguing that it will sway majority vote in favour of the party when Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Punjab and civic elections in Maharashtra and Delhi are held in a few
months’ time. The other viewpoint is that since the promulgation of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) would be debated threadbare in Parliament, it may be difficult to sustain it as the main poll plank.
Hardliners, however, hold that the international war against terrorism, which started in Afghanistan, would, as promised by the USA be extended to Kashmir in the next phase. This would vindicate the stand of the NDA government and the party that terrorism would be uprooted from India.
Initially, Mr Krishnamurthi wanted to release a copy of the concluding address of the Prime Minister in New Delhi tomorrow but on insistence from scribes, he agreed to give details.
The Prime Minister said many asked him why India was not crossing the Line of Control in wiping out the menace of terrorism. The same question, he said was asked during the Kargil operations. The country’s pro-active policies had yielded results and he was hopeful of India’s success in the fight against terrorism.
Muslim brethern, he said, were looking towards the government for assurance and supported the fight against terrorism. Many Islamic states were now beginning to understand and support India’s stand on terrorism.
The Prime Minister said the government had been trying for a consensus on various national issues, including levying of new taxes. A meeting of all Chief Ministers planned on the subject had fallen through because of resistance from some opposition parties. The Congress leadership had been
approached but without success.
Mr Vajpayee felt that Congress alone could not be blamed for failure on the consensus issue. Other parties were equally responsible.
The NDA government, he said, was growing in popularity despite difficulties and now represented a powerful voice of the nation. The Opposition, which was divided, had been trying to create a split in the coalition government. The question was not of survival of the coalition government, but how well it was run, the Prime Minister emphasised.
He said the BJP was in power in some states and in the Opposition in others. He pleaded for a balanced approach, advising party workers to bear this fact in mind in their political behaviour.
The Home Minister, in his address, lashed out at the Congress, saying the BJP never allowed politics to come in the way of national security. Defending POTO, he said it was the Congress which had misused TADA in 1985 against farmers in Gujarat. All safeguards, which were missing in Congress-promulgated TADA, MISA and NSA, had been incorporated in POTO.
Mr Advani said at the end of first phase of the international fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, it would be the turn of Kashmir. Talking about the Joint Working Group against terrorism comprising the USA, the UK, Germany, Israel and India, he said this was possible because India was successful in generating world opinion against this menace.
