BJP raps ruling Congress over three terrorists' escape

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday slammed the ruling Congress for its "conspicuous silence" over the escape of three Pakistani terrorists from a city hospital in New Delhi last week.

"It has been three days (since the escape) and there is no trace of them," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.

The BJP described as a "serious security lapse" the escape of the three Pakistani terrorists who had completed their jail terms and were awaiting deportation back to their country.

The terrorists gave police a slip when they were taken to the GB Pant Hospital for an eye check-up on Friday.

They were part of a module of eight trained terrorists arrested by Delhi Police in 2000 before the Red Fort attack case with a huge cache of explosives and narcotics.

Prasad drew a parallel between the Congress' "conspicuous silence" over the escape and its repeated criticism of the BJP for swapping three terrorists during the 1999 Kandahar hijack drama.

"The Congress had been wailing like a widow over the Kandahar (episode) and now the party is maintaining a conspicuous silence. It should speak up and explain the serious security lapse on the part of the government," he said.

The BJP leader also took a dig at Home Minister P Chidambaram.

"Why is Chidambaram silent? He is supposedly rated as a good home minister. It is surprising that the incident happened right under the nose of the central government," said Prasad, and pointed out that the security and law and order in the capital was the central government's responsibility.

"Chidambaram should explain and answer many questions," Prasad said and termed the circumstances that led to the escape as "highly suspicious".