Apparently not adopting a very hard stand against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the issue of the Bodh Gaya serial blasts, BJP president Rajnath Singh sought to shift the largest portion of blame to the UPA Government on the terror strike by stating that the Centre did not support the State Government for strengthening the security around the Buddhist shrine despite intelligence inputs provided by the Central agencies in this regard.
Singh who earlier in the day visited Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya offered coconut water to former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi for breaking his 24-hour fast near SK Memorial Hall in Patna on Tuesday. Modi was on fast in protest against the State Government’s failure to prevent the terrorist attack on Mahabodhi temple and also against some other issues including the Bagha police firing.
later addressing BJP leaders and workers, the BJP president said that the Union Home Minister did not support the State Government for strengthening security despite the fact that that the intelligence agencies including IB were having apprehensions about any “reactionary” impact on the Buddhist shrines including Mahabodhi temple following the ethnic conflicts between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The serial blasts at Bodh Gaya could have been prevented had the UPA Government acted on the intelligence inputs regarding possible terror strikes on the Buddhist shrines.
Singh said that the Centre claims that it has provided intelligence inputs to the State Government but it has also to be verified whether these inputs were specific in the nature, a comment which clearly hints at the BJP chief’s soft approach towards Kumar who snapped the JD(U)’s ties with the BJP last month.
He said that India is also known outside the country for the Mahabodhi temple but now people will be scared to visit the country after the serial blasts as it will have an adverse impact on their psychology.
The BJP president said that full security arrangements should be made at places of such high importance but it is certain that the UPA Government is not able to take effective steps to prevent recurrence of such terror strikes in the country. Though the identity of the terrorist group involved in the serial blasts has yet to be established, it can be safely presumed that it is the work of some international terrorist organisation or sleeper modules of various terror groups, hiding in various parts of the country.
He said that leaders of the Opposition in lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley have repeatedly implored the UPA Government to formulate a comprehensive action plan for establishing coordination among intelligence, investigating and security agencies to prevent or minimise terror strikes but the Government has yet to take an action on it.
The Congress-led Government, however, is busy with misusing these agencies and doing little for maximising benefits from these organisations, he added.
He also accused the Government of pitting the CBI and the IB against each other in connection with the Ishrat Jahan encounter in Gujarat.
Though he was unsparing against Kumar for the recent Bagha police firing which claimed lives of six innocent Tharu tribals, contending that a phase of anarchy has returned to the State once the BJP has come out from the Government.
He said that people of Bihar have already the impression that the lalu Raj is back with a vengeance, targeting Kumar’s alleged attempts to govern the State with the support of the police forces.
The BJP president commented, “Hukamat sirf police bal par nahin chalti. Uske liye naitik bal bhi chahiye” (a Government cannot run only on the strength of the police force but it requires moral strength too), one of the sharpest remarks made by senior BJP leaders after Kumar snapped ties with the JD(U) on the issue of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s elevation in the party. He said that the Nitish Kumar Government lacks the moral courage to govern the State after splitting from the NDA.
“I have also run the Government but the police force did not open fire on an irate mob before all other attempts like baton-charging and lobbying of tear-gas shells got exhausted for controlling the situation,” he added. “Any sensitive Government could not resort to such tactics to quell an agitating mob,” he commented.
leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said that the Delhi Police had sent an intelligence input last October to Bihar Police about a possible terror strike at Bodh Gaya, clearly stating that the Buddhist shrine was on the hit list but Governments either at the Centre or at the State did not take any effective step despite indications received from all corners. Jaitley said that the internal security has been put at a great risk during the UPA Government as the country is confronted with problems of terrorism from across the border, sleeper modules of the terror groups and also from Naxalism.
Alleging that the fight against terrorism has weakened due to the vote politics of the Congress, BJP leader said that those who are fighting for the security of the country are put in the dock while those having connections with leT are given titles of martyrs, a comment made in an oblique reference to the Ishrat Jahan encounter and “witch-hunting” of IB officials in this connection.
Jaitley said that the BJP will single-handedly continue its fight against all these issues with a missionary zeal, exuding confidence that the people of Bihar will reward the party soon, apparently a reference to the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
Sushil Modi said that the private security guards continued were responsible for the internal security for the Mahabodhi temple despite an IB input was already available with the State Government.
He said that NIA and NSG teams reached Bodh Gaya after 12 hours of the incident but all evidence were washed out in rains which lashed the pilgrim town during the intervening period on Sunday.
He also took a dig at Kumar for not holding discussions either with the Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister after the Bodh Gaya serial blasts. He asked the Chief Minister to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the issue of serial blasts and also follow-up action.
The BJP president told mediapersons at Bodh Gaya that the Centre must help State Governments in the fight against terrorism as no State can do it alone. He said that the UPA Government has also not shown enough will to fight terror.
Stating that the serial blasts should be probed fully, he said that the BJP is not politicising the terror strike and one should not try to find fault with the party on this matter.