Rajya Sabha member and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that his party would extend support to the United Progressive Alliance government if it came up with a stringent law against terrorism.
"They (UPA) repealed Prevention Of Terrorism Act and Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act... But an extraordinary situation needs an extraordinary law...," said Naidu, adding that if the UPA could muster the political will to introduce a stringent law, "we will extend support".
When asked about the Central government's plan to introduce a stringent law like POTA, Naidu further said that the BJP would first go through the law introduced by the UPA and see if it is a good and stringent law and is in the interest of the country, before they support it.
Naidu was, however, of the opinion that the political will to introduce a stringent law was not only lacking in Sonia Gandhi or Manmohan Singh but the entire Congress.
Revive POTA against terror: BJP
When asked about Shivraj Patil being criticised by various leaders after the recent serial blasts across the nation, Naidu said that Patil resigning was not the solution to the problem of terrorism. There should be a change in the mindset of the government, he said.
"The terrorists are not of any religion. A rigorous law and special courts are needed to deal with the terrorism situation and bring peace," he said, adding that bail should not be easy for terror suspects.
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