Terrorism

Bangaluru: In a surprising change of stance, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today issued an appeal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lead the nation in its fight against the menace of terrorism. He said that it was high time that India stood united in fighting terrorism keeping politics away. He said that he was not blaming the central government or attempting to politicise Saturday's serial bombings in Delhi by revealing that he had alerted the Prime Minister about it based on the investigation into Ahmedabad blasts.

"There is no politics in the fight against terrorists. I merely informed the media that I had alerted the Prime Minister," Modi said in Bangaluru as he went into the third and final day of the National Executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Soon after the five blasts rocked Delhi, killing at least 30 people, Modi said that he had alerted the Prime Pinister and Home Minister Shivraj Patil about possible attacks in the national capital.

"The terrorists arrested in Ahmedabad had told investigators that Delhi was the next target and this information was given to the prime minister when I met him in Delhi 10 days back," he said. BJP prime ministerial candidate L K Advani also mentioned this point later at a public rally in Karnataka capital.

"Modi's alert or warning to the Prime Minister was not an apprehension but on the basis of sustained investigation by the Gujarat Police and which made him realise it was going to happen in the capital. Modi also told the PM that it was for the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government to pursue the matter," Advani said.

"The refrain of the UPA government had been to blame the Intelligence Bureau (IB) all along for various blasts. This time, the government can't even tell that the Delhi blasts took place due to intelligence failure. Our Gujarat Chief Minister had already forewarned them," Advani asserted. (With IANS inputs)