Click to play videoNew Delhi: Sentenced to hang between life and death, by a Government worried about its vote bank — that is the fate of Mohammad Afzal Guru who has been sentenced to death for the terror attack on Parliament and has been on death row for the past three years.
The UPA Government is loathe to send him to the gallows, worried that they may lose crucial votes because of the decision in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The prisoner has for the first time, spoken out about his agony after being convicted.
Afzal Guru told news agency IANS: "I don't think the United Progressive Alliance Government can ever reach a decision. The Congress party has two mouths and is playing a double game. I really wish L K Advani becomes India's next prime minister as he is the only one who can take a decision and hang me. At least my pain and daily suffering would ease then."
CNN-IBN has learnt that the UPA is keen to defer any decision on Afzal hanging till at least the general elections which could be as late as May next year.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are also scheduled for October this year.
The Congress party's reasoning is that a decision on Afzal could become an election issue that the party doesn't want to deal with at this stage.
Congress Spokesperson, Jayanti Natarajan says, "There is a Constitutional process which is outside the system of law and that process will take its course."
But the question is whether the BJP can also really hang him if it comes to power at the Centre after the next General Elections. As of now, this ambiguous answer is all that one gets from the party.
BJP Spokesperson, Rajiv Pratap Rudy says, "The Supreme Court has categorically said that Afzal Guru is an accused and has given a direction for hanging him.''
Afzal Guru's death sentence has been kept in abeyance since October 2006 and it's not just because the UPA fears a political fallout. North Block fears hanging Afzal Guru will turn him into a martyr which could in turn destabilise Kashmir.
The Centre has to give its opinion on 26 mercy petitions, petitions which are pending before the Home Ministry and have not been disposed off for years. Now, political parties and lawmakers are demanding that an upper limit be set for disposing off such mercy petitions.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.