New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday accused the Congress of ‘playing vote-bank politics’ in delaying the file on the mercy petition of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi.
‘The home minister of India was pressurising the (Delhi) chief minister to keep sitting on the file. BJP condemns this patent case of fraud of the constitution. If the court can fast track cases, how come the government is giving the queue logic. This has been a fraud,’ BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.
His comment came a day after Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit stopped short of denying that former home minister Shivraj Patil had asked her government to delay a decision on Afzal Guru’s hanging. ‘Maybe what you are thinking is true,’ Dikshit said on Aaj Tak channel when asked if Patil had asked her to keep the matter pending even if the home ministry sends frequent reminders.
‘The PM owes an explanation to the nation and the BJP demands an explanation. Why was the country misled? This only confirms that Congress is playing vote-bank politics. As chairperson of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) and the National Advisory Council, Sonia Gandhi should also explain this situation,’ he added.
Afzal Guru was given death penalty by a Delhi court Dec 18, 2002 after holding him guilty of conspiring to attack parliament Dec 13, 2001, and waging war against the country.
The Supreme Court Aug 4, 2005 rejected Guru’s appeal against the death sentence, which was upheld by the Delhi High Court Oct 29, 2003.
A sessions court set the date of his hanging Oct 20, 2006 in Tihar Jail but his wife Tabassum filed a mercy petition before the president, delaying his execution.
According to the laid down procedure, the president sought the home ministry’s views on the mercy petition and the home ministry, in turn, sought the Delhi government’s comments.
