BJP tears into Nitish Kumar for security lapse at Modi's rally

BJP today charged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for failing to provide adequate security for Narendra Modi's Hunkar Rally at Patna on Sunday, which was preceded by a series of blasts claiming six lives.
"The Centre had alerted Bihar beforehand about a possibility of a terrorist attack during the rally. Why Nitish Kumar ignored it. Narendra Modi could have died. It is a criminal negligence on the part of the state government", BJP MP from Bhagalpur and party's national spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said here.
"Why were the intelligence inputs not taken seriously, why was the venue not sanitised," he asked.

In other states where Narendra Modi had gone to address rallies, state governments concerned had made adequate security arrangements, he said.
"We have no complaints so far, but why Bihar was an exception. Is it because Nitish Kumar is envious of Modi. This is why he chose to ignore the alert," Hussain told reporters.
Hussain said, in the past eight years of Nitish Kumar's rule in Bihar, terrorist group Indian Mujahideen (IM) had been trying to make the state a hub for their activities.

Accusing Kumar of being soft on terror for vote-bank politics, he asked, "Why Nitish Kumar had not taken steps to thwart IM plans and defeat their intentions. Why did the Bihar government refused to take custody of Yasin Bhatkal."

"Now with six people dead and several injured due to the explosions, people of Bihar would want answers from Nitish Kumar," he said.
Hussain said no CCTVs and metal detectors were installed at the rally ground.
"There was acute shortage of security personnel as well as absence of any high level state government official despite the visit of a Chief Minister. Only a lady ASI officer was deputed there," he alleged.