POTA repealed at instance of Sonia Gandhi: Gujarat minister

Gandhinagar: Anti-terror law POTA was repealed by the UPA government at the instance of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said in the Assembly on Wednesday.

The decision to scrap the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), enacted in 2002 when the BJP-led NDA was in power, was taken during the UPA rule at the Centre in 2004 because Gandhi had "soft corner for terrorists", Jadeja alleged.

"POTA was repealed at the instance of Sonia Gandhi as she was having a soft corner for terrorists," the BJP minister said, responding to a query regarding the Gujarat Control Of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GujCTOC) Act during the Question Hour.

"Since you had repealed POTA, Narendra Modi, when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, brought GujCTOC in the state to punish those involved in anti-national as well as terrorism activities," Jadeja said.

Taking strong exception to Jadeja's remarks on Gandhi, party MLA and Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chavda sought evidence from the BJP minister to back his claim.

"This is not a public meeting. You are claiming that it happened at the instance of Sonia Gandhi. You must furnish evidence to prove your claim. Or else, the Speaker should reprimand you" said Chavda.

Speaker Rajendra Trivedi agreed with Chavda's and asked Jadeja to submit proofs.

Jadeja, responding to the question raised by Pravin Musadiya (Congress), said the GujCTOC Act came in to effect in Gujarat from December 1, 2019, a month after it received Presidential nod.

Till now, two cases, one each in Ahmedabad and Amreli, have been registered under the stringent Act, the minister said.