Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his government had fulfilled its promise to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act which had “caused unnecessary harassment to many sections”.“Our government had made a commitment to repeal POTA and we have faithfully fulfilled the promise made at the time of last Lok Sabha elections,” he said, releasing a book written by MDMK chief Vaiko during his imprisonment under the anti-terrorism Act. Noting that Vaiko had opposed POTA even when he was with the NDA, the PM said: “I salute him for having taken a stand, a correct stand. I am proud today that we have repealed POTA. This is a victory for Vaiko.” Praising the services rendered by Tamil leaders, he said the Centre was doing all it could to help the state in all possible ways, adding that the UPA had sanctioned a huge automobile testing facility, a C-DOT research and development laboratory and Sethusamudram project for the state.Earlier in Thiruvananthapuram, the PM said persons getting elected to august institutions of democracy had an obligation to ensure that they renewed people’s faith in democratic institutions. ‘‘We owe it to posterity to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of our people, our freedom fighters, the Constitution and the Republic,’’ he said at the Assembly complex here.
