By IANS
New Delhi: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh Wednesday said that Parliament House attack convict Afzal Guru should be hanged at the earliest.
“The Supreme Court has given him the punishment. It should be done at the earliest,” Singh told reporters here.
Singh’s views are at variance with the official stance of the Congress on the issue. The party Monday steered clear of the issue, saying that mercy petition of Afzal Guru was a matter to be decided by the president, and the central and Delhi governments.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said it was outside the purview of the party to comment on the mercy petition of Afzal. He said the Delhi government and the home ministry had “all the facts” relating to the issue.
The Delhi government Tuesday forwarded the file on Guru’s mercy petition to Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna with its suggestions. Khanna’s office later returned the file to the state home department seeking some clarifications, government sources said but did not give any details.
Official sources said the state government has not opposed the death sentence awarded to Guru by a trial court in December 2002.