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India not a soft state but hot pursuit not feasible: Patil

NEW DELHI, Dec 22: Home Minister Shivraj Patil today rejected the notion of India being a ‘soft state’ or a ‘weak state’ when it came to handling terrorism, but ruled out ‘hot pursuit’ to destroy terrorist-training camps in other countries, including Bangladesh.

The Home Minister also rejected suggestions that India did not have a policy to tackle terrorism and said the Government’s endeavour was to identify and remove the causes that gave rise to the menace. Everything, including making provisions for removing poverty and unemployment, was being done to remove the root causes.

Replying to questions from a distinguished audience of retired and serving top officials of various police, para-military and intelligence organisations at the 17th IB centenary endowment lecture here, the Home Minister cautioned against the emerging threat of nuclear and biological terrorism if modern technologies fall into the hands of terrorists.

He called for cooperation among nations, states within the country and the people in fighting the growing threat which, he said, could escalate to outer space and oceans.

"India is neither a soft state nor weak state. We are correct. We would like to be correct. We will not like to go to extremes,.. We will try to convince them, the theory of hot pursuit is not allowed. Then you should be prepared to face the consequences also. We have fought many wars with Pakistan. We have adopted the ways of a civilised world. Specially with Bangladesh, we are trying to create a situation where we can tell them that providing safe sanctuary to terrorists is not dangerous for us alone, it is dangerous for you too. I hope they will understand that," he told a questioner.

He said all the international bodies including the UN, the European Commission and the SAARC should try to ensure that nations do not provide sanctuary and money to terrorists and also see to it that small weapons are not sold to NGOs.

The Home Minister, while outlining the policy of the UPA Government for tackling terrorism, also rejected the assertions that the law to tackle the menace was weak or Central funds were used, particularly in the northeast, to sustain terrorism.

"Without a policy, how can we fight terrorism. Even the previous Government had a policy. We have studied that and adopted some of their points. Also, the Government’s endeavour is to identify and remove the root causes including under-development and unemployment," he said.

Mr Patil said it was wrong to say that Central money was being used for terrorism in the northeast and pointed out that there were many channels, including drug money and foreign funds, which were being utilised for sustaining terrorism.

He said the law was not weak and it depended upon how effectively various provisions of the law were used to tackle the scourge.

Expressing confidence that terrorism, in the end, would die, the Home Minister said 80 per cent people in the country wanted peace and it is that section of the population which sustained the Government’s hopes of victory over the scourge.

"It is that population which are our strength. Moreover, our security forces are fully capable to meet such challenges...Terrorism does not live for ever. It is not a permanent feature. We have the vision, strength and confidence," the Home Minister said.

Asked whether the country was prepared to face any emergencies like taking of mass hostages of mass killings like the ones in Russia and 9/11 incidents, the Home Minister was a bit on the defensive saying "it depended upon the circumstances prevailing at the time of the incident.

"Terrorism is something which has to be faced through coordinated efforts of various nations, particularly in the field of intelligence and information sharing. We have adopted a stance in which we will receive and give information, specially in the areas of intelligence gathering," the Home Minister added. (UNI)

Best Bakery case proceedings rocked by
Tehelka expose claim

NEW DELHI, Dec 22: News portal tehelka.Com today showed video footage of Gujarat BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava’s "admission" about buying out for "Rs 18 lakh" Best Bakery case star witness Zaheera Sheikh.

Mr Shrivastava said the claim made by Tehelka portal was "bogus".

Speaking to news channels which managed to reach him in Vadodara district this evening, the BJP legislator from Vaghodia rubbished the Tehelka claim.

Zaheera, deposing in a special court in Mumbai, gave testimony that she had not taken any money.

She said, "Maine Koyi Paisa Nahi Liya Hai. Koi Kisi Ko Paisa Nahi Deta Hai. Maine Allah Ke Naam Par Kasam Khai Hai, Main Jhoot Nahi Bolungi Kyunki Mujhe Allah Ko Mooh Dikhana Hai (I have not taken any money. No one gives money to any one. I have taken oath in the name of Allah to speak the truth, as I have to show my face to allah)."

During her cross-examination in the ongoing re-trial, special public prosecutor Manjula Rao asked Zaheera if Mr Shrivastava had promised her Rs 35 lakh to give false evidence, and whether she had already collected Rs 18 lakh.

The 10-minute video footage screened at a news conference here showed Mr Srivastava telling Vadodara Corporator Nisar Bapu that the amount paid to Ms Sheikh was Rs 18 lakh.

Talking to reporters after the day’s proceedings, Zaheera again denied the allegations that she received money to give false evidence.

"It is a conspiracy by Battu (Madhu Shrivastava’s cousin Chandrakant) and Teesta Setalvad to malign my image," she alleged.

Zaheera reiterated that her earlier complaint against Mr Shrivastava was made at the behest of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad. The prime witness, who turned hostile yesterday during her deposition, said she did not know Madhu Shrivastava.

Zaheera’s cross examination in the special court of Additional Sessions Judge Abhay Thipsay, who is presiding over the retrial into the Best Bakery case, will continue tomorrow.

At least now Zaheera Sheikh must be made by some authority to give the clear picture in the Best Bakery carnage, said Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal at the press conference in New Delhi.

Human rights activist Teesta Setalvad, who had been recently accused by Ms Sheikh of threatening her to give wrong testimony, called the footage a very interesting development.

Let the Supreme Court decide about it, she told reporters.

In the footage, Mr Srivastava is shown as telling the corporator of Vadodara, where the Best Bakery killings took place during the Gujarat riots, that Ms Sheikh came to my house and cried.

There is also the talk of getting involved in the issue unnecessarily and getting defamed for no fault of ours, for helping a Muslim girl.

According to Mr Tejpal, a tehelka reporter, who went to Gujarat to investigate the Zaheera Sheikh story, established several contacts and infiltrated into the network.

A Tehelka newspaper cover story also carries an interview with Ms Sheikh’s grandmother Zareena Shahu, who recounts the horrors of March 1, 2002, the day of the Best Bakery massacre.

We went to Doomariah in Uttar Pradesh to talk to Zaheera’s grandmother who ratified everything that happened on that day. She should be summoned as a key witness, said Mr Tejpal.

Ms Setalvad, who declined to comment on the merits of the new video footage, said she was interested in a full-scale and legitimate inquiry into how Ms Sheikh turned hostile in the trial of the case, which was ordered to be held outside Gujarat by the Supreme Court.

We need the truth and we need justice, said Mr Tejpal. This footage shows what happens when money and threats come into high profile cases.

The Tehelka chief said he hoped that now the true testimony of Ms Sheikh could be obtained. I have a lot of faith in the functioning of our institutions, he said referring to the judiciary.

Fourteen people had been burnt alive in the Best Bakery carnage during the Gujarat riots that followed the Godhra train massacre in February 2002. Recently, Ms Sheikh had blamed Ms Setalvad, who played a key role in the events leading up to the Supreme Court order of retrial of the case in Mumbai, for intimidating her into giving testimony against innocent people.

The BJP smelt a rat in the alleged bribery expose. Party spokesman V K Malhotra alleged mala fide in the motive.

The Congress said the Gujarat Governor and the Supreme Court should take action on the latest Tehelka expose.

It was for Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma to send his report to the Home Ministry and the apex court to order an inquiry into the expose involving payment of a bribe of Rs 18 lakh, party spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters. The left said it took strong exception to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s "nefarious attempts to tamper with justice" and demanded a CBI inquiry under the supervision of the Supreme Court in the Tehelka expose.

CPI(M) politburo member M K Pandhe and CPI national secretary Shamim Faizi told UNI that such an inquiry at the behest of the apex court would help in bringing out the "whole truth."

In Patna, RJD chief and Rail Minister Lalu Prasad demanded the resignation of senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani from Parliament and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Former Defence Minister George Fernandes said the Tehelka sting operation was sponsored by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"I do not know the exact source of money for the Tehelka operation, but it was executed from 10, Janpath," said Mr Fernandes. He said the "so-called expose of corruption in defence deals" and other incidents of maligning the Indian leaders were part of a conspiracy by foreign forces to shatter the belief of the people in their system.

Speaking earlier at the seminar here, Ms Jaya Jaitley, who along with Mr Fernandes had figured in the Tehelka video expose of alleged murky defence deals, also described the Tehelka episode as a meticulously planned attempt to tarnish the image of the country by targetting honest leaders. (UNI)