New Delhi: The government will be able to designate individuals suspected to have terror links as "terrorists," if controversial changes to a counter-terrorism law are cleared in Parliament.
These amendments to the Unlawful Activities Prevention (Amendment) Bill were passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with 287 votes in its favour and eight against it after the opposition walked out in protest, calling it draconian.
The government’s rationale, Home Minister Amit Shah explained, is that terrorists such as Indian Mujahideen's Yasin Bhatkal, who was on the radar for years, would have been caught much earlier if he had been designated a terrorist.
He also pointed out that if a terrorist group was banned, a terrorist could easily float another outfit. So, it was imperative to designate the individual rather than just the organisation.
At the same time, Amit Shah assured members in the House that the new law won’t be misused. He also made out a case that other countries have similar provisions in law.
"The UN has a procedure for it, the US has it; even Pakistan has it, China, Israel, European Union... Everyone has done it."He said the Modi government had only brought an amendment to a law which was enacted by the Congress and whose provisions were later made stringent.
In this context, he pointed out that what the Congress governments did "was right and what the BJP-led government is doing is also right". The Congress and several opposition parties staged a walk out after the Home Minister's reply, demanding that the Bill be sent to a Standing Committee.
Several other opposition leaders, including the Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra, objected to the changes, saying the law could be misused to target individuals.
"If the Centre wants to target someone, they will nail that person somehow with the help of some law -- Opposition leaders, minorities, right activists and others, if they disagree with the homogenous idea of India that this government is trying to thrust upon us. The entire opposition runs the risk of being labelled as anti-national," Moitra said.
"Why is the opposition called anti-national every time we disagree with the government on issues of national security and policing?" Replying to the contention, Shah said no one would harass genuine social activists. "There are in fact many social activists who are doing good work...
But we will smash the urban Maoists." "There is need for tough laws to end terrorism," the Minister concluded with a degree of finality.
