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Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig on Monday said there was no question of going soft on terror and the state government would continue to fight cross-border terrorism.
Beig told rediff.com that the Bharatiya Janata Party's criticism of the state government's policies towards militants was totally misplaced.
BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley had recently accused the state government of adopting a soft line towards militants.
"Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has already clarified that there is no question of going soft on militants, particularly those from across the border. Today (Monday) the state assembly would pass a resolution condemning the (Jammu) incident," he said.
Beig sought to explain the attack on the Raghunath and Shiv temples in Jammu as an act of desperation by the terrorists.
"What happened in the Raghunath temple was expected," Beig told rediff.com.
"The new environment created by the government is not to the liking of the terrorists as they their base is being eroded by the release of political prisoners. Terrorism has to be fought on two fronts. One on the security front, which would continue, and the other by giving a healing touch to the bleeding state," he said.
He agreed that the state government would be under increasing pressure following the terrorist attack on the temples in Jammu. He appealed to the people of Jammu to remain calm. "Terrorists want to create a communal divide in the state. We should not fall into their trap," he said.
Professor Saifuddin Soz, Congress Rajya Sabha member from the state, said the BJP was trying to gain political mileage out of the attack on the Raghunath temple.
"BJP's criticism is totally unfounded. The Congress need not be on the defensive. We have said it time and again that terror would be fought with full force while the healing touch would go on," Soz said.
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