Vadodara: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi yesterday (Sep 17, 2004) lashed out at Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government for deciding to repeal anti-terror law POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance), alleging that this was being done only with an intention to give "political asylum" to terrorists.

"Repealing POTA would only encourage terrorists in carrying out their anti-national activities. The Congress only wants to provide political asylum to terrorists," Modi said addressing a function relating to ten-day Ganesh festival in Vadodara.

"Repealing POTA, insulting Veer Savarkar and tricolour, deleting word Gujarat from text books and insulting national anthem...where does this Congress-led Government wish to take the country's cultural heritage," he wondered, speaking on a range of issues that have been in headlines recently.

Hitting out at "pseudo-secularists", Modi said importance of Lord Ganesh is understood in Muslim-dominated Indonesia but here if a CM attends Ganesh Chaturthi, he is criticised.

He reiterated his warning to launch a mass agitation from October 2 to 31 for "self-respect" of Gujarat if Sonia Gandhi and UPA Government did not apologise for deleting Gujarat's name from national anthem in some textbooks.