POTA is BJP's answer to terrorism in India

CALL FOR ACTION: On July 26, 2008, 17 blasts ripped across Ahmedabad leaving 49 dead and over 100 injured.

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New Delhi: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil says provisions in the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) were carried over to the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act and that, according to him is enough to deal with terror activities.

But, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been demanding that POTA be brought back and it claims that the recent blasts took place because there is no strong anti-terror law.

On May 13, 2008, seven blasts rocked crowed markets places in Jaipur leaving 68 people dead and more then 150 injured.

Two-months later, on July 26, 2008, eight blasts shook the country's IT capital Bangalore leaving a woman dead and more than 20 injured. Following the blasts in India’s IT hub Bangalore, the next day on July 26, 2008, 17 blasts ripped across Ahmedabad leaving 49 dead and over 100 injured.

These serial blasts have once again brought into sharp focus the need for judicial mechanism to deal with terror. All blasts took place in BJP-ruled states and now there is an orchestrated demand from the party for a terror law that can deal with terrorism in an efficient manner.

“We will be happy if the Central Government gives us a mechanism to deal with people involved in organised crime,” says Home Minister Karnataka, VS Acharya.

However, it is not BJP alone demanding the POTA laws. After LK Advani's demand for POTA on Sunday, now the Gujarat and Rajasthan Government are reminding the Centre that their state-specific terror bills are not being cleared.

“I find it very difficult to understand why Maharashtra can have this kind of law and we can’t” asks Vasundhra Raje.

However, the Centre believes that a federal agency should be set up to investigate the blasts.

Meanwhile, what the country needs at this time, is better coordination between states and Centre and not the usual political blame game.