New Delhi, December 14
The Congress’s description of yesterday’s terrroist attack on Parliament as “monumental security and intelligence failure” of the government has been strongly criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party which termed the comment as —”height of absurdity”.

Briefing newspersons, BJP Parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said it was sad that the Congress had tried to take political advantage of the tragic incident at a time when the country was fighting a decisive war against terrorism.

Those who lost their lives defending the Parliament were government servants and a part of the government, Mr Malhotra pointed out.

Mr Malhotra said that some party MPs had asked the Prime Minister to take an early decision on a pro-active policy against terrorism by undertaking “hot pursuit” of terrorists and destroying their training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The MPs had urged the government to adopt a stand similar to the one taken by the USA following the September 11 attack, he said.

It has been conveyed to the Prime Minister that the mood in the party and in the country favoured such an action after yesterday’s attack, Mr Malhotra added.

Asked if the BJP wanted India to attack Pakistan, Mr Malhotra said it was for the government to decide how to destroy the terrorist bases. As far as PoK was concerned, India considered it as its territory, he said.

Asked how the BJP could equate Afghanistan with Pakistan in the context of its demand for destroying terrorist bases in PoK when the latter was a nuclear country, the spokesman said these were the aspects which should be considered by the government.

Mr Malhotra claimed that even the Samajwadi Party and former Prime Minister V.P. Singh had favoured a hot pursuit line against Pakistan.

Union Home Minister L.K. Advani would make a statement in Parliament on December 18 on yesterday’s attack and a detailed discussion would follow, Mr Malhotra said.

Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh also asked the government to take stringent measures to crush terrorism and urged all political parties to support the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO).

“The monstrous attack on Parliament has proved beyond doubt that no place and no person is safe any more”, the RSS said in a statement here today.