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Thursday, Aug 07, 2008
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BJP: Centre weakening case against SIMI

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Even as the government moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday against a tribunal decision to lift the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, a key constituent of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, welcomed the tribunal order. The Samajwadi Party also supported this view.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, accused the UPA government of weakening its own case before the tribunal in order to “appease” its new-found ally.

Talking to journalists, BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy demanded the dismissal of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil for not presenting “clinching evidence” against the SIMI before the tribunal.

Mr. Rudy said the Prime Minister owed an explanation to the nation because of the “suspicion” that the government failed to present proper evidence before the tribunal “in lieu of the Samajwadi Party’s support in the trust vote in the Lok Sabha.”

Referring to the tribunal’s observation that the Centre had not given new evidence against the SIMI to warrant extension of the ban, Mr. Rudy said the government’s failure vindicated the BJP charge that the UPA was “soft-pedalling on terrorism.”

SIMI should not be banned: Lalu

Earlier in the day, RJD chief Lalu Prasad said he was always of the view that the SIMI should not be banned. “And, if at all the SIMI has to be banned, then why not the Shiv Sena and the Durga Vahini [a wing of the VHP].”

Recalling that the SP did not ban the SIMI when it was in power in Uttar Pradesh, party president Mulayam Singh said: “If the SIMI is banned, then the RSS should also be banned.”

The Congress said that notwithstanding the order, the ban should continue as the SIMI was not only an unlawful but also terror outfit. Party spokesman Manish Tewari said there was no question of revoking the ban as the SIMI was listed as a terrorist outfit under the Scheduled Terrorist Organisations in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967.

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