NEW DELHI: BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley on Tuesday called Union home minister Shivraj Patil “totally illiterate” for saying that a constitutional amendment was necessary to set up a federal agency to deal with terrorism.
Jaitley said the supreme court, while upholding central legislations like Tada and Pota, held that since terror threatens the security of the whole country, it falls under the first item of the Union List, “Defence of India”, rather than the first item of the State List, “Public order”. After every terror strike the home minister spoke of the need for a federal agency to investigate offences with trans-border implications, he added.
Meanwhile BJP general secretary Sushma Swaraj’s own party was seen distancing itself from her shocking statement that amounted to accusing the Centre of masterminding the serial bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. BJP leaders would not openly criticise her, but clearly uncomfortable, neither would they support it.
s_rajesh@dnaindia.net
