Hyderabad blasts: Oppn, UPA allies blame govt

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government drew flak from all quarters, including allies, for failing to act on intelligence inputs that could have prevented the Hyderabad blasts.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the home minister in both Houses of Parliament. Reacting to the home minister’s statement that there was no specific information, senior leader Venkaiah Naidu asked: “Do you think people will give you house number and street number?”

Noisy scenes disrupted the proceedings of the Upper House, where members demanded a discussion be allowed on the Hyderabad blasts and the home minister be present. As Shinde was at the blast site in the morning, it was only in the post-lunch session that he made a statement in both Houses. The BJP rejected the minister’s statement, calling it indicative of the “UPA’s casual approach to terror”.

Shinde said two cases have been registered and the National Investigation Agency would investigate it in conjunction with the Andhra Pradesh police. His speech was disrupted by sloganeering from the Opposition.

UPA ally Samajwadi Party, which joined the sloganeering with the Opposition, demanded that the government take concrete steps and provide a roadmap to fight terror. Ramgopal Yadav of the SP urged the government to take action.

The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati stressed on the need for greater coordination between intelligence agencies of the states and the Centre, and asked the government to take appropriate action to root out terrorism.

Without naming Pakistan, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the government should not lower its guard “because there are some noises from across the border that there is a great change of heart”.

He also stressed that there is a need to strengthen intelligence. “We need to get into the terror modules and bust them,” Jaitley said.

Responding to the Opposition’s charges, Shinde told the House that intelligence inputs had suggested the possibility of terror attacks in five cities including Hyderabad and the city police chiefs were alerted in this regard five-six days ago.

He emphasised the need for closer coordination between the Centre and states to deal with terror and said he was willing to rework the powers of the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre, which has faced stiff opposition from many states which see it as an encroachment on their powers.

Death toll rises to 16
The city police on Friday said the death toll in the twin blasts touched 16 after two more people died while undergoing treatment. Around 120 people were reported to have been injured in the blasts that rocked the crowded shopping area at Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad on Thursday.