A day after the serial blasts in Patna on Sunday, the Bihar unit of the party claimed that Narendra Modi was the prime target of the blast and not the crowd. The BJP leaders also charged severe security negligence on the part of State administration which did not even follow the basic security protocol for the rally.
“We’ve come to a conclusion that the intention of the blast was not to create stampede or target the general people but the prime target was Narendra Modi,” said senior State BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. Modi also said that it was all not just the security negligence or indifference but “deliberate”.
“It was all deliberate not to provide adequate security for the rally of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi whom the Bihar Chief Minister considers not as a political opponent but political enemy,” alleged Sushil Modi. Modi also sought to know whether Bihar Chief Minister has called his Gujarat counterpart after the blast. “It requires basic courtesy for a Chief Minister to call the Chief Minister of another State after such incident,” he said.
The Bihar BJP leader, now popularly known as SuMo further raised some points for the State Government to answer. He sought to know has the Advance Security liaison (ASl) for which 20 police officers from Gujarat had come, was done properly by the State administrationIJ “We’ve to know why Bihar police had refused to put their signature on the ASl plan,” he charged.
Sushil Modi also raised the point whether any security rehearsal prior of the rally or Narendra Modi’s visit was done by the Bihar Police or notIJ had the Bihar Police done anti-sabotage check of the dais or the Gandhi MaidanIJ and if not
whyIJ “And, if it was done how the bombs were found plantedIJ he asked.
The BJP leader also rued that earlier the Bihar Police had assured them to provide all administrative support to the Hunkar Rally which were being given to the Adhikar Rally of JD-U. “I want to ask the Chief Minister why the police just did formalities in the name of administrative support and why there was a difference between the security provision of the two ralliesIJ he asked.
“Even metal detector was not installed and there was no frisking at the rally”, wondered Sushil Modi. “The last bomb which was defused by the security personnel in the evening at Gandhi Maidan was just 100-150 metres away from the dais …you can just imagine what would have happened had it been blasted,” he said.
Sushil Modi also decried that no protocol was maintained when Narnedra Modi landed at the Patna Airport. “There was no senior policemen present there to brief Narendra Modi on security parts”, he charged. The BJP leader asked the Bihar Chief Minister whether his Government has formed Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) as it was planned after the Bodh Gaya blastIJ
Similarly, other State BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav detailed the security lapses on the part of the State administration for the rally. “There was a total security lapse and it was Narendra Modi who was the target of the blast but god saved him”, said Nand Kishore Yadav.
He also alleged that prior to the rally the administration had assured them to install altogether 11 CCTV cameras but on the rally day a person had come only with two CCTV cameras which were also not installed. “People without having security passes were coming near the dais, howIJ”, the police should answer.
He even expressed his wonder that when the blasts started taking off a police officer often used to come on the dais to tell us there have been blasts in order to create panic. “Why he wanted to create panic I don’t know but there should be a probe on this. I must reiterate it was all deliberate and not mere negligence. Was it because Nitish Kumar treat Narendra Modi as his political enemyIJ asked Nand Kishore Yadav.
Earlier, the feisty State BJP leader and former Minister in the NDA cabinet Giriraj Singh demanded CBI inquiry into how the family members and relatives of the prime suspect of the blast Tehsin Akhtar of Samastipur was related with a political party and what steps the State administration had taken to arrest him after his name had cropped in the Bodh Gaya blast also.
“Had the entire Indian Mujahideen module was being politically protectedIJ...there must be a CBI probe into all this”, demanded Giriraj Singh.
Separate teams of NIA and NSG are probing the blast incident from different angle in the State. However, the State police said that they have got important leads from one Imtiyaz Ansari arrested from Patna railway platform. The police have taken Imtiyaz Ansari and his accomplice Ainul alias Tariq under custody.