Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s extradition reflects “new India’s” zero-tolerance resolve towards terrorism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party said while accusing the Congress of being soft on terror for “vote-bank politics”.
The Congress, however, has said the Modi government did not initiate the process of Rana’s extradition but benefited from the “mature, consistent and strategic diplomacy” that began under the United Progressive Alliance dispensation.
Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, is likely to be brought to India in a special flight on Thursday after all hurdles for his extradition were removed by the US, according to people familiar with the matter.
As reported by PTI, Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Rana’s extradition was a “big achievement” of the Modi government and its security agencies.
It is also a tribute to the security personnel who made the supreme sacrifice while fighting Pakistan-sponsored terrorists and a “big step” towards rendering justice to more than 160 people, including those from the US, Israel, France, Germany, Italy and other countries, killed in the attack, he said.
Interestingly , Shehzad Poonawalla did take a dig at Congress. But it seems did not do his homework properly and forgot that the parliament attack on December 13, 2001 happened when BJP led NDA under Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister and Home Minister was L K Advani .
Earlier on December 24, 1999 Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked from Kathmandu and taken to Kandahar then foreign minister Jaswant Singh accompanied Masood Azhar and others terrorists in exchange and secured the release of passengers.
