Terrorism directed at Indian soil must be firmly resisted, says Congress lawmaker

Saturday, 22 February 2014 10:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

New Delhi: Reacting to the assassins of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, India’s Junior Education Minister Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that terrorism from any quarter of the world directed towards any Indian citizen or on Indian soil must be firmly resisted. Following a petition filed by the Federal Government, the Supreme Court of India on Thursday stayed the decision of the Provincial Government of Southern Tamil Nadu to release all seven convicts in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “Terrorism from any quarter or any part of the world directed at Indian citizen and Indian soils must be firmly resisted and as far as we are concerned we don’t see any difference between one kind of terrorist and other kind of terrorist,” said Tharoor.

The Supreme Court of India commuted the death sentences on the three men to life imprisonment on Tuesday because of an 11-year delay in deciding on their petitions for mercy. The ruling Congress lawmaker said that political parties should stay away from playing politics on this sensitive or any other issues related to terrorism. “You speak of the Rajiv Gandhi killers but let’s not also forget the 17 other innocent Indians and as far as I know all were Tamils and I find it odd that people would speak off protecting the interest of Tamil people and forget the 17 families that have lived in Tamil Nadu as well. So, our message is very clear do not play politics with terrorism,” said Tharoor. On Wednesday, the Government of the Southern Province of Tamil Nadu decided to release all seven killers of Rajiv Gandhi. However, son of Rajiv Gandhi and Vice-President of ruling Congress party Rahul Gandhi expressed unhappiness and said if a Prime Minister cannot get justice, a poor man cannot expect it either. Gandhi was killed by an ethnic Tamil suicide bomber while campaigning in an election in the southern Indian town of Sriperumbudur in May 1991. The three men – Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan – were members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and Gandhi’s killing was seen as an act of retaliation after he sent Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka in 1987. The three were convicted of involvement in 1998 and sentenced to death by hanging. A fourth person, a woman, was also given the death sentence but it was later commuted to a life term. The men appealed for mercy but successive presidents gave no decision until 2011, when their plea was rejected. Gandhi’s widow, Sonia, is the head of India’s ruling Congress party while their son, Rahul, leads its campaign for elections in the next few months. The abolition of death penalty is being seriously advocated by human rights activists the world over, arguing that it is too barbaric a custom for modern civilised societies. The Supreme Court said on Tuesday that the administration must move faster on deciding on mercy petitions in the interest of justice. Last month, the Supreme Court commuted the sentences of 15 death row prisoners to life in jail on the grounds of delay. Human rights group Amnesty International said the commuting of the death sentences was encouraging, especially following the January decision.