Click to play videoNew Delhi: The politics behind fighting terror has begun before the law has been passed.
The BJP has called the government's proposed anti-terror law as incomplete. Especially without a provision to allow confessions before the police admissible as evidence, the Congress says that the scope for misuse of the provision is too great.
The BJP has called it a reluctant attempt at being tough on terror. The Congress, however is defending the law it believes as all encompassing.
Ideally, the BJP which has always said that the UPA government is too soft on terror, should have felt vindicated that the UPA government was finally bringing in a tougher anti terror law.
So while the party will support the stringent provisions, it seems reluctant to give the UPA any credit.
The politics of terror has only just begun.
At the heart of the debate on Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) Vs the new amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is the controversial provision of admitting confessions made to police officers as evidence.
A provision of the POTA that always left a scope for complaint and the UPA government believes it has rightly excluded it from the UAPA.
"That's what was used against the minority communities. Whether you have a confession to a police officer or not doesn't prevent the terrorist from attacking as they did in Mumbai," argued Congress leader Kapil Sibal.
Quiet like POTA the new bill will make getting bail extremely tough. The onus of proving his innocnece rests on the accused if arms and explosives are recovered from his possession.
Detention without bail for upto 180 days instead of 90 days, police custody of accused upto 30 days instead of 15 and life imprisonment for those involved in terror acts are some of the provisions in the UAPA which have been carried forth from POTA.
The Congress also believes that while the BJP did nothing to set up the National Investigating Agency (NIA) it was now grudging the Congress.
Parliament session had been a show of unity post the 26/11 disaster but the differences between parties are almost palpable, threatening to burst forth as the general elections draw closer.
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