New Delhi, May 20: The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday slammed the Congress for “dithering” on the issue of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s death sentence and “questioning the patriotism of the Muslims” by their action.
“We are sure no countrymen will protest his hanging. This is insult to Muslim patriotism and we condemn this attitude,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar told a press conference.
He said the Delhi government should unequivocally recommend that the punishment (hanging) was carried out forthwith.
Though the Delhi government apparently backed the Supreme Court verdict upholding his hanging, it has been accused of sitting over the issue for years.
The lieutenant governor of Delhi Tejendra Khanna on Wednesday held a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to decide on the mercy petition of Afzal Guru.
BJP National Vice -President Mukthar Abbas Naqvi said in a media communiqué that by “talking of worsening of law and order situation” on death penalty to terrorist Afzal Guru, the Government of Delhi has abused “the patriotism of crores of Muslims.”
Addressing a BJP demonstration at Parliament Street organized Wednesday to press the demand for immediate death to Afzal Guru, Naqvi observed that Afzal Guru is a terrorist and responsible for terror in India.
“Both Hindus and Muslims want him to be hanged till death immediately,” he said.
Naqvi said the Congres Party’s reported views that the law and order situation in Muslim areas and in certain other places can worsen on death penalty to Afzal Guru is not only an attempt to raise doubts about Muslims patriotism but also to provide “security cover” for condemned terrorist Afzal Guru, he said.
Naqvi said Pakistan is the factory of terrorism which is daily producing terrorists like Afzal Guru and Kasab and “the time has come to destroy this factory”.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has a different take on Afzal Guru hanging, said there are 29 people on death row for the attack but why there is a clamour over one and not the other 28.
“Who says you take the 29th first and then the rest? The legal process should be completed. Afzal Guru will have what is there in his fate,” he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Tuesday said that the file of Guru’s mercy petition, that has been languishing with the Delhi government for years, has been sent to the Union Home Ministry (MHA) through the office of lieutenant governor but the Lieutenant Governor held a meeting with the chief minister on Wednesday to dispel some confusions.
-Agencies