New Delhi, July 24:  Lok Sabha has passed the controversial Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill (UAPA) today. While speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the UAPA Bill and reiterated the need to wipe off terrorism from India.

According to an ANI report, he is quoted saying, "In this country, a lot of people involved in social work are working respectably, the police are not fond of catching them, but we don't have any sympathy for those who work for Urban Maoism."UAPA Bill That Gives Powers to NIA to Designate an Individual With Terror Links as 'Terrorist' Passed by Lok Sabha.

Shah further said that there is a need for a provision to declare an individual as a terrorist. "UN has a procedure for it, the US has it, Pakistan has it, China has it, Israel has it, the European Union has it, everyone has done it. The bill is only to wipe off terrorism from India and it will not be misused," he added.

Check ANI tweet:

He further mentioned that the amendment that has been brought in this Bill is to give our security agencies a strong law that will help them to do their work. Ahead of the voting in Lok Sabha today, the Congress MPs staged a walkout in protest. The Bill seeks to allow an individual suspected to have terror links to be designated as a 'terrorist'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 24, 2019 03:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).