BJP targets PC over intel failure

The BJP went on the offensive against the UPA government,accusing the Centre of intelligence failure and reiterating that the Congresss vote bank politics is weakening the fight against terrorism.

The BJP on Wednesday went on the offensive against the UPA government,accusing the Centre of intelligence failure and reiterating that the Congresss vote bank politics is weakening the fight against terrorism.

Significantly,the BJPs main target was Home Minister P Chidambaram. The fact that no advance intelligence information was available is a matter of concern. No intelligence about such a major plot is an intelligence failure. Even though there was a dry run in May this year,the follow-up security apparatus was not installed, said senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

He recalled that six major terror attack cases in Varanasi,Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore,German Bakery in Pune,Mumbai,the Delhi High Court and Jama Masjid have taken place since Chidambaram took over,and all of them have remained unsolved.

BJP chief Nitin Gadkari also asked Chidambaram to concentrate on tackling terrorism. Demanding a high- level probe into the blast,he said: That the terrorists could strike in the very heart of the seat of power of the central government is a serious matter and has exposed the tall claims of the Delhi Police and intelligence agencies about the safety of the national capital, he said. The Congresss vote bank politics comes in the way of the fight against terror,he added.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj,who visited the blast site and hospitals where the injured have been admitted along with Jaitley and Gadkari,said: This is the second blast outside the Delhi High Court in the last four months. It is shocking. It was decided that CCTV cameras would be installed,but even after the last blast,the government did not take any action.

The Left too targeted the government. This failure of the government and the intelligence-security agencies is a matter of serious concern. It is imperative that the government takes effective measures to identify and apprehend the people involved, said the CPM Politburo.

CPI National Secretary D Raja said the government should explain whether it was a failure of the intelligence agencies or the failure of the policy adopted by the Centre with regard to terror.