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Enough concessions on POTO: Advani
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, DEC. 8. The Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, today gave sufficient notice that the Vajpayee Government had made whatever concessions it could make to the critics of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) and now the Government would try its best to put the bill on the statute book.
Speaking at an annual gathering of businessmen, Mr. Advani asserted that ``unanimity or no unanimity, we cannot abdicate our responsibility as security is the major ingredient in building up a perfect nation.'' He was indirectly referring to the changes the Cabinet had reportedly agreed to make the proposed law in order to accommodate the criticism from the political parties; these changes have not satisfied the Opposition, and the Congress, the Left and the Samajwadi Party, among others, remain committed to getting the bill defeated in Parliament.
Claiming that ``our Government has an approach of accommodating every viewpoint and work towards consensus approach towards various issues,'' Mr. Advani, nonetheless, noted that lack of consensus could not become an excuse for inaction. The Home Minister's remarks this morning suggest that the Government is prepared for a political confrontation with the Opposition on POTO.
Advice to businessmen
Since Mr. Advani was in a mood for a bit of plain-speaking and he had a thing or two to tell the businessmen. Referring to the fact that about Rs. 25,000 crore worth of power was being stolen every year, he noted: ``What is worrisome is that the power is stolen not so much by poor people. As we see in Delhi, it is rich businessmen and shopkeepers and residents of posh colonies who are the biggest culprits. This shows the enormous responsibility that business associations have to check malpractices committed by members of their own fraternity.''
Exhorting the industrialists to `clean up our collective acts and become more competitive,'' Mr. Advani emphasised that the challenge from the international business community could be met only by a collective partnership between the Government and the business. However, he added: ``While the Central and State Governments are doing their best to simplify life for businesses by easing the regulatory and tax burden, it is now the responsibility of the business sector to pay its taxes and other charges completely and on time.''
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