Rahul's terror remark stokes controversy

Rahul Gandhi's remark that it was "very difficult" to stop every single terror attack today sparked off angry outbursts from the Shiv Sena and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, even as the Congress found "nothing wrong" in the statement.

Gandhi stoked controversy when he said in Bhubaneswar that it is "very difficult" to stop every single terror attack but asserted that 99% of the strikes in the country have been stopped due to vigilance and intelligence efforts.

"It is very difficult to stop every single terrorist attack. The idea is that we have to fight terrorism at the local level. We have improved in leaps and bounds. But terrorism is something that it is impossible to stop all the time," he said.

Reacting sharply to Gandhi, the Shiv Sena said the remark was an "insult" to Mumbai. "Rahul does not leave a single chance to insult Mumbai. When he says the terror attacks will continue to happen, it shows that he is not fit to live in India," Sena MP Sanjay Raut said.

Lambasting Congress for alleged failure and inaction against terrorism, Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray said that instead of just saluting the resilient spirit of Mumbaikars, the Government should see to it that innocent people don't suffer.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati too reacted to Rahul's statement, though she did not name him.

"The statement of a Congress office bearer that it is difficult to stop every single attack is unfortunate and irresponsible," Mayawati said in Lucknow. Such statements demoralise people, she said.