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The Congress executed Ajmal Kasab, the sole survivor of Mumbai’s 26/11 assault on Tuesday, but can it prove its sincerity (to deal with terrorism) by this or will it need to do more by hanging Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru also?

Many may argue that the Congress has been sucked into the corruption controversy over spectrum allocation, Coalgate and many other scandals and there was no way out for the party except to put up a brave face (by hanging Kasab).

The Congress made an astute move, hanged Kasab in secrecy even before the rights groups or certain sections and (of course) Pakistan could register a protest (similar to the nuclear test in Pokhran by the BJP-led Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1990, which was undertaken clandestinely).

The Congress has no doubt scored brownie points by this move but even the BJP is cashing in on the hanging by upping the ante and demanding the speedy execution of Guru.

But after this extreme step, there were repercussions from Imran Khan’s party Tehreek-e-Insaf, which wanted Sarabjit (languishing in a Pakistani jail on charges of terrorism) hanged as a retaliation.

On the other hand, the Lashkar-e-Toiba has issued a warning to India and Indians of an impending terror attack.

So, the downside of the Congress move is the focus the BJP has brought back on Guru’s hanging and making the country more vulnerable to terror attacks.

There wouldn’t be any prizes for guessing that the step (to hang Kasab) by the government had political hues (with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls).

And if the government manages to execute Afzal Guru soon after, then it would put the entire Kashmir Valley on the boil and it may take days or even weeks (or months perhaps) to bring back normalcy to the region.

The Congress may also see a whitewash in the Valley in the forthcoming elections if it hangs Guru. So, the party may not be too keen to send Guru to the gallows at least till the 2014 polls.

But if the Congress government manages to do just that, it may win back many hearts (in India) and it could repair, to a certain extent, the damage it had done to its reputation by getting sucked into various scams.

By hanging Guru, the Congress would also send out a message that India can sternly deal with terrorism and this would prompt terrorists to rethink before striking on Indian soil.

But weighing the pros and cons, the Congress could actually stop short of hanging Guru as it may not augur well for the party in the next polls and may also prompt Pakistan to send Sarabjit to the gallows.