Activist seeks info on terror camps, MHA provides Shinde's clarification

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Activist-seeks-info-on-terror-camps-MHA-provides-Shindes-clarification/articleshow/19400886.cms Activist seeks info on terror camps, MHA provides Shinde's clarification Neha Shukla, TNN | Apr 5, 2013, 06.15 PM IST LUCKNOW: In what could be described as a double whammy for the Congress, after Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde made a U-turn on his comments on Hindu terrorism, the ministry of home affairs did not provide information about terror camps being operated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party, when asked under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The ministry, instead, provided the copy of Shinde's clarification and said the "home minister has issued a clarification on February 20, clarifying the position." The political furore over Shinde's comment on BJP and RSS conducting terror camps, though died down after the minister tendered an apology, caused embarrassment to the government. In an RTI response, the ministry denied information. The questions could be irrelevant since the minister has already apologised for his comment. Shinde had said, during Congress' Jaipur conclave, in January, "We have got an investigation report that be it the RSS or BJP, their training camps are promoting Hindu terrorism." He later clarified that he meant saffron and not Hindu terrorism. The comment was strong enough to leave BJP livid, which demanded that the minister either apologise or be sacked. Shinde later backpedalled and retracted his statement by issuing a clarification and also regretting his statement. In January, activist Urvashi Sharma had sought certified copies of all records available with the government based on which the home minister had accused RSS and BJP of conducting terror training camps and promoting "Hindu terrorism", from the PMO. The response which came more than two months after the application was made, said the government has no records available on any of the information sought. The query had also sought certified copies of information on location within India and/or abroad of RSS and BJP terror training camps; certified copies of records available with the government on action taken against BJP and RSS to ban them for running terror training camps; certified copies of prevailing national/international rules/regulations/treaties/ Government Orders as per which "terrorism" has been divided on the basis of religion/caste/creed/sect etc.; certified copies of list and all records available with the government on cases of infiltration and/or insurgency and case wise actions taken by government.