Home-grown terror a new reality: Chidambaram

Home Minister P Chidambram said “we live in the most troubled neighbourhood in the world.”

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Thursday, refuted the allegations from the opposition and said that India is dealing with a very complex internal security problem.

Terming home-grown terror modules as the "new reality" faced by India, Chidambaram said the problem was not paid adequate attention when the nation was fighting cross-border terrorism.

He added that in the past, terrorists used to come from across the border, but now home-grown terrorism like SIMI and IM is the new reality.

Replying to a short duration discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the situation "arising out of growing incidents of terrorism in the country with special reference to recent blasts in Mumbai on July 13," Chidambaram said the country was building capacities to improve intelligence gathering and fight terrorism.

He said security forces had neutralised 51 terror modules and added that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has a very good record of filing chargesheets and was currently probing 29 cases.

Earlier, intervening in the debate, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said there can be no place for compassion in dealing with terror and national security should prevail over vote bank politics.

Arun Jaitley also said that it was unfortunate that the Union Minister had no answers on the security lapse, which unfortunately led to the recent Mumbai blasts.

Chidamabaram said as long as the epicentre of terrorism was in Afghanistan and Pakistan region, "we will continue to be under the terror shadow".

"We live in the most troubled, vulnerable neighbourhood in the world," he said.

He said initially terrorism was imported from across the border.

"The new reality is that this is not the only source of terror anymore. The second fact we must realise is that many terror groups are home-grown terror. They may be inspired by groups outside but they are in India and they are Indian modules."

He said when Indian modules of these groups were being formed, the nation "failed to recognise them".

"How SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) has morphed into Indian Mujahideen," he said.

He said that while the investigating agencies were probing jihadi cases, right-wing fascists were also on the rise in India.

"All over the world, right wing fascist groups are on the rise," he said.

Pune and Mumbai blasts are "two major blots": PC

Home Minister P Chidambaram today said there are indications of involvement of Indian module in the July 13 Mumbai blasts that killed 26 people.

It is for the first time that the government has pointed towards the involvement of a homegrown terror group for the three explosions in the metropolis.

"While no conclusion has been reached, all indications point to Indian module," Chidambaram said about the Mumbai blasts, adding that perhaps it could be the same module that carried out a blast in the German Bakery in Pune last year.

He said the Pune and Mumbai blasts are "two major blots" in the last 32 months since he assumed the charge of Home Minister. "I accept it," he said.

Chidambaram said another mistake was to point fingers at a particular religion whenever a bomb blast took place.

Describing the period from 2002 to 2008 as the worst phase of terrorism related violence, Chidambaram said there was a "failure to recognise" the growth of SIMI and Indian Mujahideen in these years at the political and government level.

He said that the security forces have so far smashed 51 terror modules in last two years. "We have successfully busted a number of modules," he said.

Chidambaram said that considerable improvement has been noticed in the intelligence machinery both at the state and at the central level.

He said the Centre was receiving cooperation from chief ministers of all the states including those ruled by the opposition parties.

While the trial process in India was slow, the government in the last few months has invested thousands of crores of rupees into police modernisation and recruitment.

Citing terror attacks in other parts of the world, he said it was a myth that the US was free from any terror attack after 9/11.

The Home Minister said the National Investigative Agency has been a success story while the National Security Guards (NSG) have been empowered and expanded.

The NATGRID (national intelligence network) will be in place in the next 18 months and the entire software for the system will be built by an Indian company.

No foreign company will be involved in this process, Chidambaram said.

He noted that the Prime Minister has said there will be full fledged discussion on the NCTC, which will subsume the NATGRID.

With agencies inputs

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