10-08-2006, 09:53 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>No grounds for mercy in Afzal's case, BJP to Prez </b>
Pioneer.com
PTI | New Delhi
Citing the hanging of a man convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the BJP on Sunday met President APJ Abdul Kalam and told him that there was no ground for clemency for Mohammad Afzal sentenced to death in the 2001 Parliament attack case.
"The contention that this convict did not pull the trigger himself and cannot be visited with the extreme penalty does not hold ground. In the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, Kehar Singh (who was charged with conspiracy to murder the then Prime Minister), had not pulled the trigger himself and yet the extreme penalty visited him," the BJP said in its memorandum to the President.Â
"There are no grounds for clemency which have been made out. The convict has shown no signs of remorse as he has not even submitted the clemency petition himself. Probably, he feels he should not submit to the Constitution of India," senior BJP leader LK Advani told reporters after the meeting.
He said BJP suspected that politics of vote could be preventing the Government from making any comment on the Afzal case.
Advani said that the BJP feels that the Congress-led Government could be avoiding taking a position on Afzal because of the upcoming elections in several States.
<b>"Surprisingly, there is no word from the Government on this case," Advani remarked adding BJP believed that UPA's "silence" on Afzal was seemingly "dividing" the country.</b>
<b>Advani, accompanied by BJP president Rajnath Singh, leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,</b> said the Government should make its stand clear on the sentencing.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Pioneer.com
PTI | New Delhi
Citing the hanging of a man convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the BJP on Sunday met President APJ Abdul Kalam and told him that there was no ground for clemency for Mohammad Afzal sentenced to death in the 2001 Parliament attack case.
"The contention that this convict did not pull the trigger himself and cannot be visited with the extreme penalty does not hold ground. In the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, Kehar Singh (who was charged with conspiracy to murder the then Prime Minister), had not pulled the trigger himself and yet the extreme penalty visited him," the BJP said in its memorandum to the President.Â
"There are no grounds for clemency which have been made out. The convict has shown no signs of remorse as he has not even submitted the clemency petition himself. Probably, he feels he should not submit to the Constitution of India," senior BJP leader LK Advani told reporters after the meeting.
He said BJP suspected that politics of vote could be preventing the Government from making any comment on the Afzal case.
Advani said that the BJP feels that the Congress-led Government could be avoiding taking a position on Afzal because of the upcoming elections in several States.
<b>"Surprisingly, there is no word from the Government on this case," Advani remarked adding BJP believed that UPA's "silence" on Afzal was seemingly "dividing" the country.</b>
<b>Advani, accompanied by BJP president Rajnath Singh, leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,</b> said the Government should make its stand clear on the sentencing.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->