Sushma Swaraj terms Patna blasts a ‘gross intelligence failure’

Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: Senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday condemned the Patna serial blasts which rocked the capital city ahead of the ‘Hunkar rally’ of BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi today. While condemning the incident, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said, “I strongly condemn serial bomb blasts on the occasion of BJP rally in Patna. This is gross intelligence failure.” A bomb exploded at the Patna railway station Sunday morning killing one man. Two more blasts took place at the Gandhi Maidan and three outside. The blasts took place hours before BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed a rally at the ground. In the blasts at least five people are reportedly dead. JDU leader Sabir Ali said there are "two parts of the blasts.” "We condemn the blasts and will not spare anyone behind the incidents. But who has benefited from the incident, who has benefited from its timing," he said. Asked if BJP was behind the blasts, Ali said, "the circumstances are speaking a lot of things. We are not naming any one before the inquiry is complete but circumstances are speaking a lot." Meanwhile, BJP`s Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad sought a thorough probe into the blasts and said the response of state police was not adequate even though the rally was fixed eight months back. "The police should have taken precautions after the first blast. There were no metal detectors, frisking and other security measures at the rally. The police preparations left much to be desired," he said. Prasad said even though they saw the first blast from the podium, they played it down to prevent any panic reaction. Addressing a party event here, Lekhi called the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) central government "worthless" for the seven low-intensity blasts which killed five people. BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said, "This was complete failure of the IB and the CID and when there is a failure of law and order, there is going to be acrimony between the communities because of security of the environment."

Lekhi also attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that Pakistan`s Inter Services Intelligence contacted Muslim youths affected by the Muzaffarnagar communal violence in Uttar Pradesh. "Who is he to be briefed by the intelligence agencies....if he is correct, what has the centre done in this regard...why does he keep raising the issue of assassination of his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) and father (Rajiv Gandhi) who were killed because of their faulty politics?" she asked. Without naming the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, she accused it of communally polarising the state. "Bengal traditionally has been known for its communal harmony. But we can see attempts are now being made to communally polarise the state. The signs are not good," added Lekhi. Reacting to the incident, JDU President Sharad Yadav said he did not know whether there was a "wrongdoing" in the incident. "If there is any wrongdoing, it will come out in the investigations. No one has even called me from Bihar and I will be going there in the evening," he said. With PTI inputs