Devangere (Karnataka), Feb 13 (IANS) There was no place for Maoism and terrorism on college campuses in this country, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader L.K. Advani said here Wednesday.
“It is worrying to read of late that Karnataka is becoming a hub for terrorist activities. Organizations like SIMI (Students’ Islamic Movement of India), which have links with extremist outfits abroad, seem to be spreading their tentacles secretly in this state. What is disturbing is that some young students and professionals from Karnataka are getting drawn into this terror net,” Advani said.
He said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had taken firm measures to strengthen India’s internal security apparatus. “We did so because we believe that our developmental achievements and also our future plans will come to a naught if we allow the twin dangers of jihadi terrorism and Maoism to carry on their murderous campaign in India,” he added.
Advani, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, mentioned the arrest of six terrorists in Uttar Pradesh Sunday. Their interrogation had revealed that they had a hand in the terrorist attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore (IISc) and were also planning to attack the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), he said.
Terrorism is one of the main issues on which BJP plans to take on the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections to be held by May 2009.
Bringing up the issue of development, which is also high on the BJP’s campaign agenda, Advani said: “The NDA government took steps for building world-class network of highways, ushered the telecom and IT revolution, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to universalise elementary education and a host of other initiatives to accelerate economic growth.”
He said the NDA government had for the first time institutionalised a mechanism for the large Indian diaspora to become a partner in the evolution of a new and resurgent India, with initiatives like the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and dual citizenship in several countries.
Advani also mentioned that India became a nuclear weapons state during the regime of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.