Political war of words erupts over Memon's execution

New Delhi, July 30: A political war of words erupted on Thursday over the execution of 1993 Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon, with a section of opposition leaders speaking against the death sentence. Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh fired the first salvo, saying that the BJP-led government should show "similar commitment" in all cases of terror as it showed in the case of Yakub Memon. Party colleague and former union minister Shashi Tharoor said he was "saddened" by Memon's execution. "Saddened by news that our government has hanged a human being. State-sponsored killing diminishes us all by reducing us to murderers too," Tharoor tweeted. "There is no evidence that death penalty serves as a deterrent, to the contrary in fact. All it does is exact retribution, unworthy of a government," the Thiruvananthapuram parliamentarian said. "I'm not commenting on the merits of a specific case; that's for the Supreme Court to decide. Problem is death penalty in principle and practice," he added. Communist Party of India (CPI) parliamentarian D. Raja, meanwhile, said that the death penalty should be done away with in the country. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader and Hyderabad parliamenarian Asaduddin Owaisi said the government should ensure death sentence in all similar cases. "Death sentence should also be given to Babu Bajrangi, Maya Kodnani, Col. Purohit and Swami Aseemanand," he said. The ruling BJP slammed the leaders opposed to the hanging, Tharoor and Digvijaya Singh were foresaken by the Congress as well, which said it was their "personal views". Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the views were that of the leaders concerned and not of the Congress. Former home secretary and BJP parliamentarian R.K. Singh said those making such comments did not have national interests on their minds. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said justice had been done. "Justice has been done; this increased the people's faith in the judicial process. He got two decades to prove his innocence, and he was proven guilty," he said.