Govt’s soft policy has emboldened terrorists: BJP

“The soft-on-terror policy has only emboldened elements like IM who keep on making their presence felt. Tentatively,it appears to be a security lapse and lack of proper intelligence,” said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.

“Those behind the attack should be nabbed and punished without the government being deterred by extraneous considerations. The government should assure the nation that the country is safe as far as diabolical designs of this terror outfit go,” he added,appealing for communal calm.

Condemning the bomb blast,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was an attempt to “weaken” India’s resolve to fight the “evil forces of terrorism” in which they would not succeed. “It is the most unfortunate incident. It was an attempt to weaken our resolve to fight the evil forces of terrorism and the terrorists will not succeed,” he said. “My heart goes out to those suffering families and we will provide succour to them.”

Subscriber Only Stories

View All

UPSC Essentials | Weekly news express with MCQs: Adani-Hindenburg saga, M...

Anti-science movement is political but medicine also hasn’t conveyed its ...

In Jharkhand’s tribal villages, an online marketplace for local produce

Delhi Confidential: Mansukh Mandaviya gives a shout out to youngest Mitra

Monthly plan to access Budget

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,meanwhile,attacked Home Minister P Chidambaram,accusing him of adopting a “casual approach” towards terrorism. “He (P Chidambaram) is the most casual and confused Home Minister of the country. For quite sometime,every two months serious terrorist acts are taking place and the Home Minister always adopts a casual approach,” Naqvi said.

Senior BJP leader and MP from Varanasi Murli Manohar Joshi said the incident shows the police in Varanasi had become lax and that terrorist outfits have again become active in the state. “Terrorist outfits have once again become active in Uttar Pradesh and I have discussed this with the District Magistrate and Commissioner (of Varanasi) that they should take immediate steps and strengthen the security at the ghats,” Joshi said.

Right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad also blamed the central government,saying it was following a “Muslim appeasement policy” which has emboldened the terror groups. “The Muslim appeasement policy of the government,like the delay in hanging of Afzal Guru and targeting of Hindu leaders has resulted in the increase of Jihadi activity,” said VHP international general secretary Praveen Togadia.

“The government,instead of controlling Islamic terrorism is targeting Hindu outfits and its leaders who are the victims of the same Islamic terrorists. The inaction on the part of the government has emboldened Jihadi groups,” he added.

He demanded that the holy city of Kashi be accorded the status of a “protected heritage site” and entry of non-Hindus into it be banned.

With PTI inputs