New Delhi, June 23: Amid reports that government has rejected the mercy petition of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, Congress today said it supports the Home Ministry’s stand on the issue.
“Law will take its own course and the procedure laid down under the Constitution will be followed and shall be followed. We support the Home Ministry on this issue, “party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarjan told reporters here. BJP has expressed the hope that the President would go by the government recommendation that Afzal Guru be hanged, saying he was “a symbol of treachery and terrorism” who deserved capital punishment.
BJP has often alleged in the past that the Congress-led government at the Centre and Delhi government were dragging their feet on hanging of Afzal Guru for minority appeasement and vote-bank politics.
 Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said whatever may have been the reasons for the delay deciding on the mercy petition in regard to Afzal, the President should accept government’s recommendation, if any, rejecting it.
 “The Home Ministry after so much delay and dilly-dallying seems to have recommended that the Supreme Court verdict should be implemented. We hope that the President will go by the recommendation,” Naidu said.
 The Rajya Sabha member said Afzal deserved to be hanged for the crime he has committed.
 “Afzal Guru is a symbol of treachery, terrorism and anti-national activity. He deserves capital punishment. A strong signal should go to those who are working against the nation,” Naidu said.
 BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said his party wanted that Rashtrapati Bhawan should “immediately issue orders that Afzal be hanged”.
 “It is our hope and our demand that there would not be any further delay in carrying out the death sentence. This only demoralises the security forces and encourages terrorists. Rejecting the mercy petition and hanging Afzal will send the right signal,” he said.

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