BJP unhappy with Centre over security to Modi, other leaders

BJP today said the Centre was not doing enough to secure its leaders citing reports that four Indian Mujahideen militants arrested by Delhi Police had plans to target Narendra Modi and accused Congress of "emboldening" terrorists with its statements aimed at vote bank politics.

The allegations came a day after Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said there is no threat to Modi's life and his security had already been upgraded.

Calling for a consensus on matters of national security, BJP again raked up the demand for an exclusive, tough anti-terror law.

Party's spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the report that the four terrorists were planning to attack Modi was an "extremely sensitive subject" and a challenge to the democratic system. "We should have some consensus over the matters of national security like other countries. We should not issue statements which embolden terrorists," he said.

BJP, he said, wants a tough law to deal with terror cases, saying India was the only country fighting terrorism without an exclusive law to deal with it.

If voted to power, he said, BJP would take necessary steps on the matter.

Delhi Police had yesterday arrested top Indian Mujahideen terrorist Zia Ur Rehman alias Waqas, a Pakistani national wanted in connection with several bombings, and three associates from Rajasthan.

Asked whether the terrorists had plans to target BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Special Commissioner (Special Cell) S N Shrivastav had said that "present level of investigation doesn't point towards it."

Trivedi today said, "We had expected that the Centre would step up the security of Modi and our other leaders.It is probably not happening. We had also submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister over the issue but it appears that the government is not doing the needful."

Trivedi referred to the terror attacks in the Modi's rally at Patna in Bihar in October last year and said it happened even though two of its leaders attending the meeting, its prime ministerial candidate Modi and president Rajnath Singh, are NSG protectees.

"Terrorists are feeling encouraged," he said, because many political parties were making statements which embolden them, be it the "sympathy" expressed with the terrorists killed in Batla encounter or with the convict in Parliament attack case or going to the homes of terrorists in Azamgarh to "sympathise" with their families.