Congress soft on terrorists: Gadkari

SHIMLA - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Sunday accused the Congress party of being soft on terrorists and expressed apprehensions whether the central government was serious about executing Ajmal Amir Kasab who has been sentenced to death for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.

“I doubt the intentions of the government in executing Ajmal Kasab. Take the case of Afzal Guru (convicted for the December 2001 attack on parliament). Even after so many years of the Supreme Court verdict, he is still not being hung,” Gadkari said at a public meeting here.

“People of the country want that punishment should be given to Kasab as early as possible. They do not want any delay,” he said.

Accusing the Congress of going soft on terrorists, the BJP chief said: “Unfortunately, the Congress is using terrorism to pursue its vote bank. It has failed to deal with terrorists. China is intruding into Indian territory. India’s security at large is under threat.”

The BJP president also condemned the central government saying that it had wrong economic policies and poor governance.

“The inflation rate has touched double-digit and the prices of essential commodities are rising. The government has failed on all segments of food management — its pricing, production, procurement, storage and its distribution,” Gadkari said at the conclusion of his two-day visit to the hill state.