The sixth anniversary of the attack on Parliament on Thursday has been made a poll issue by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat with the ruling party accusing opposition Congress of keeping the 'conspirator' alive for consideration of votes.
The BJP has published advertisements in local dailies with a photograph of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The advertisements, published three days ahead of the second phase of polling on December 16, ask people to recollect the attack on Parliament that happened six years ago on this day (December 13, 2001).
The advertisements in Hindi say all terrorists, who took part in the attack, were killed and the conspirators were booked under anti-terror law Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). The accused were sentenced within three years and the death sentence (on one of the convicts) was confirmed by the Supreme Court.
However, for consideration of votes, the 'conspirator' was still alive, it says, and seeks to know for how long will compromises be made on terrorism?
The advertisements do not refer either to Congress or Afzal Guru, who has been sentenced to death for his role in the attack, by name. But that the advertisements point to them is clear because the BJP has been accusing the Congress of not hanging Guru in spite of the apex court confirming his death penalty a year ago.
In his public meetings, Modi has been speaking on the delay in carrying out the death sentence awarded to Guru, saying it indicated Congress' 'soft policy' on terrorism. In a rally in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, he said: "The main conspirator in the Parliament attack case Afzal Guru was convicted and his death sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court. It is almost a year since the apex court had given its order in the case, but (Congress chief) Soniaben is not hanging him."
Coverage: Gujarat Votes, 2007
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