Saddam Execution: India 'disappointed'

 In a strong reaction, Congress said the execution was not the solution to the problem and expressed fear that it "will be the beginning of a bigger and more serious and bigger problem in that country."

 Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the development showed those holding power in Iraq now have failed to win over the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens. "Peace, justice and internal harmony could not be achieved by imposing victor's justice," Singhvi told PTI.

 Reacting angrily to the execution, senior CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu said "this urgency in executing Saddam is very suspect."

 Basu said the execution should be condemned in the strongest possible language, and that his party feared that it would have an adverse impact not only in Iraq but also in other parts of the world.

 Terming the execution "barbaric", CPI National Secretary D Raja also echoed other leaders' view, and said: "The trial was a farce and the verdict to hang Saddam a judicial assault as the country was under US-British occupation."

 Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh said tension in West Asia would increase with the execution. "WwWith this, the deterrence will increase, tension will increase. It will have a very adverse impact on the region for decades to come," he said.

Flaying the UPA government for its "mild" reaction over the execution of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain, Samajwadi Party today said it has forgotten its old friends and become a tool of the US.

"The UPA government has described Saddam's execution as an unfortunate incident. This reaction is very mild and ritualistic. The UPA government has already surrendered itself to the US," general secretary Amar Singh told a press conference here.

The party would observe a "black day" in Uttar Pradesh on January 4 to protest the "murder" of Saddam Hussain, he said.

Party supporters will demonstrate throughout the state and burn the effigy of US President George W Bush on that day, he added.

He said Saddam had supported India on the Kashmir issue. If the UPA government had protested against the death penalty, things would have been different, Singh said.