Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: Shivraj equates Afzal and Sarabjit

Shivraj equates Afzal and Sarabjit
================================================================================
NewsByte on 21 May, 2008 04:38:56
 
By OUR CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, May 21: Creating a fresh controversy, Union home minister Shivraj
Patil virtually equated Sarabjit Singh, who is facing death sentence in
Pakistan, and Afzal Guru, a condemned prisoner in the Parliament attack case. Mr
Patil said that when the government has been pressing for clemency for Sarabjit
Singh, how can the demand be made to hang Afzal Guru. Reacting strongly to Mr
Patil’s remarks, the Opposition BJP said that the Congress was playing
votebank politics and criticised Mr Patil’s remarks "as one of the most
irresponsible comments by a minister".
"You want Afzal Guru to be hanged. (At the same time) you are saying that
don’t hang a person who has gone to Pakistan (Singh)," Mr Patil told reporters
in Latur on Tuesday. "These people want others to be hanged. What are you doing?
You are saying don’t hang that person (Singh) and you say hang this person
(Guru) here," Mr Patil said, and added that law would take its own course.
Guru was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for being involved in the
criminal conspiracy to attack the Parliament on December 13, 2001. Mr Patil’s
statement drew flak from the BJP on Wednesday as party spokesperson Prakash
Javadekar said, "The government which has been dithering on the execution of
Afzal Guru is actually supporting and playing vote bank politics by giving such
absurd reasons."
"The Union home minister of the country does not even know that while Sarabjit
Singh was a case of mistaken identity, Guru’s role and involvement in
Parliament attack is proven," he said. "The comments by the home minister are
deplorable," he said.
Another senior leader, Ravi Shankar Prasad, described Mr Patil’s remarks "as
one of the most irresponsible comments by a minister" and said "it is bound to
have serious implications on the ongoing Indo-Pak talks".