'NDA would carry out surgical strikes in Pakistan'

Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre of dithering in taking strong steps against terrorists, Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the National Democratic Alliance would opt for surgical strikes to demolish their camps inside Pakistan, if it came to power.

The NDA would take other countries into confidence on the need for such surgical strikes if it came to power after the Lok Sabha polls, to be held later this year, he told a Janjagaran rally in Itanagar.

"True, there had been attacks on Parliament and on Akshardham and Raghunath temples during the NDA rule. But the morale of securitymen was high then and most of the  terrorists were killed by security personnel. The UPA government has failed to hang Afzal Guru for his involvement in the attack on Parliament despite the court's verdict," he said.

The NDA, if voted to power, would not 'waste time' in carrying out the court verdict on Guru, he said and appealed to the people to throw out the UPA in the coming polls as 'it had failed on all fronts'.

The UPA government had withdrawn the stringent Prevention Of Terrorism Act and denied involvement of Pakistanis in the terrorist acts, he alleged. "But after the Mumbai strike, good sense has prevailed and it at last enacted some law to replace POTA, though not as stringent. The new law is so loose that even Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab could not be tried under it," he added.

Terrorism, Singh said, grew in India because of 'weak-kneed' policies of the Congress, which feels any stringent law against terrorists would antagonise the minorities.

"I would like to ask Congress leaders if they think all people belonging to the minority community are supporters of terrorists," Singh said.