PTI
Mumbai, Apr 15: Is BJP responsible for dealy in executing alleged terrorist Afzal Guru? Going by home minister Chidambaram's words, it is quite possible. Speaking in the metro he said that BJP is looking at Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's case through the "lens of religion," Union home minister P Chidambaram said here.
Responding to BJP's criticism for not executing Afzal Guru, despite Supreme Court sentencing him to death, Chidambaram pointed out that there are 28 convicts on the "death row", and Afzal Guru is number 22.
"The earliest case (among the 28) is from Tamil Nadu. The death sentence was awarded on June 24, 1987 and confirmed by Supreme Court on April 22, 1998. The BJP came to power in March 1998. Why did BJP-led government not execute any of them?" Chidambaram asked.
There are three other terrorists who are awaiting execution, he said, "If you are picking out one convict (Afzal), you are looking at the case through lens of religion. A convict is a convict, he is not a Hindu or a Muslim," he said.
Convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case too are on the death row, he added.
Explaining the delay in executions, he said that mercy petitions of convicts are examined as per "well established but slow procedure whether one likes it or not" and that was why BJP too did not carry out any executions during the NDA rule.
"There is also a larger debate as to whether death sentence should be replaced by imprisonment for whole life," Chidambaram said.