Varanasi: The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Sep 27, 2004) charged that UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government's decision to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was aimed more at "terrorising" Sangh Parivar activists than stopping activities of terrorists.

"It appears that the UPA Government is less inclined to contain subversive activities by terrorists and anti-national organisations by repealing POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) and putting in place a new legislation aimed at containing the activities of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and its affiliate organisations and their activists," senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra told reporters in Varanasi.

Mishra said proposed amendments to Unlawful Activities Act was aimed at "taming" Sangh Parivar than acting against subversive elements if recent statements of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and his Deputy Sriprakash Jaiswal were any pointer to Government's intentions.

The BJP leader claimed even Congress leaders had praised RSS's social and cultural activities in the past and alleged that the UPA at the Centre now wanted to target the organisation and harass its workers by way of the new legislation.

Mishra admitted POTA had been misused by the State Government's against their political adversaries and common man to an extent but said the Act had provisions for reviewing its use against anybody and withdrawal of the case after completing legal formalities.

The UPA Government, instead of fine-tuning POTA in case there was any shortcoming in the law, had chosen to enact a new legislation to deal with the terrorist and anti-national activities with the sole intention of curbing the activities of Sangh Parivar outfits.