Capital punishment is wrong, says Gandhi

New Delhi, July 18: Opposition vice-presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Tuesday justified his efforts to save Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon from the gallows, saying the practice of capital punishment was medieval and wrong.

Facing criticism from the ruling side for backing Memon’s mercy plea, he said he did so drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, who were against death penalty and wanted it abolished.

Mr Gandhi filed his nomination papers on Monday in the presence of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Also present were other Opposition leaders,

Mr Gandhi filed his nomination papers on Monday in the presence of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi

including JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D. Raja, NCP’s Tariq Anwar and Praful Patel, NC’s Farooq Abdullah and DMK’s Kanimozhi.

“In our country, we are living in times of division. A whole force which is dividing our country is in action mode and that spells danger,” Mr Gandhi said after filing his papers.

He said he was representing the common citizen of the country and not any political party and would try and help bridge the gulf between the public and politics.

“People’s faith in politics itself has diminished and has collapsed. I would like to see a revival of that faith,” he said.

Responding to the Shiv Sena’s attack on him for petitioning the President to save Memon, Mr Gandhi said, “Shiv Sena is doing its duty with dedication. What Shiv Sena has said, it had to. I feel thatthe death penalty and capital punishment belong to the medieval ages. Death penalty is wrong and this is my principle.”

He said he had also written a similar petition for Kulbhushan Jadhav, facing death sentence in Pakistan.