New Delhi: Asserting that every terrorist, be it a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, should face the gallows, Opposition Leader in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad warned the government against being "selective" and sought action in Samjhauta and Malegaon blast cases. He said the government should refrain from going "slow" in some cases and going fast in others.
Azad was replying to a point on terrorism raised by the Leader of Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley during a debate on the Constitution in which the latter had said one should not be seen as soft on terror and the country should speak in one voice. He said there would be no one in the House who would be against the hanging of those who had attacked the Parliament.
"I will say, if someone is left behind, he should also be hanged," he said.
Recalling his days as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress leader said he had strongly taken on terrorism from within and those coming from across the border and said he believed that anyone who comes and attacks people with a gun, his body should be sent back.
To this, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad thumped the bench along with others and said, "We appreciate you for this". Quickly grabbing the opportunity, Azad said, "I will appreciate when action is taken against the Samjhauta terrorists, Malegaon, Hyderabad" and others.
When Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral made a comment in between, Azad hit back saying that the Punjab-based party leaders had attended the last rites of militants, while he had attended the last rites of the victims of militancy. Another Akali leader raised the issue of the 1984 riots, to which Azad said law is taking its course.
