New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa faced more flak on Thursday for her move to release the seven convicts in the killing of Rajiv Gandhi with the BJP saying it is 'unconscionable' and Congress cautioning against politicising the issue.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley said the latest case of relief to the assassins of the former Prime Minister was a case of 'misconceived compassion' while Union Minister and Congress leader Anand Sharma asserted that terrorism and assassinations cannot be 'politically legitimised'.
DMK chief M. Karunanidhi alleged that Jayalalithaa had not properly handled the issue of releasing the seven convicts.
"The latest case of relief to the assassins of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is unconscionable," Jaitley said.
Jaitley in his blog said after assassinating a former Prime Minister that there can be institutional compassion for such persons is difficult to comprehend.
"Those who commit such heinous crimes cannot be made symbol of identity politics," Jaitley said, adding, "Nothing more can hurt national security. Terrorism is an offence against the country. It must attract a deterrent punishment," the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said.
Sharma said Jayalalithaa has to explain why her stand changed after she was earlier opposed to the LTTE.
At the AICC briefing, party spokesman Shashi Tharoor dismissed suggestions that the Congress was isolated in Tamil Nadu on the issue of release of killers of Rajiv Gandhi.
He said roots of Congress are 'very, very deep' in Tamil Nadu due to values and principles propagated by the party.
"We do not play politics with terrorism. We do not give any quarter to it. Acts of terror directed at Indian citizens must be firmly resisted. We do not see any difference in one kind of terrorism and other kind of terrorism," he said.
AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said the Congress can't see the killers of Rajiv Gandhi walking freely.
"Lets not politicise the issue. Let us not compromise with perpetrators of terror acts to ensure that such activities are stopped," he told reporters in Panaji.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "It is a matter of concern... We should not show this kind of slackness in dealing with such cases."
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said the move by Jayalalithaa proved that she was 'not capable of becoming the PM of the country' though she hopes to benefit from this decision in the next elections.
Put TN under Prez rule if Jaya pushes for release of Rajiv killers: Swamy
Stating that any move to release former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's killers would be 'illegal', senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said that President's rule should be imposed in Tamil Nadu if Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa did not 'desist' from proceeding with the decision.
"I demand that the Centre issue a direction under Article 256 of the Constitution to the TN CM to desist from pursuing (the) illegal resolution on Rajiv's killers," Swamy said.
"If she (Jayalalithaa) does not listen, then the state should be brought under President's rule immediately," he added.
