Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday said his party had information that the central security agencies made a specific alert on October 23 about the Indian Mujahideen's (IM) plan to carry out an attack in the country, and blamed the Bihar government for its deliberate neglect ahead of Narendra Modi's rally at Gandhi Maidan.
"They are claiming that there was no prior alert. We have information that on October 23, the Central security agencies had made a specific alert and mentioned the Indian Mujahideen. The official documents are between the state and central governments, but I want to ask them what the details of the specific alerts were," Modi said here today.
"It is not mere indifference. It is not mere negligence. It was deliberate. The neglect was deliberate. The security, which should have been organized, had not been done," he added.
Sushil Kumar Modi also accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of still remaining bitter about the Janata Dal (United's) split with the NDA, and indirectly suggested it might have contributed to the lapse in full security arrangements.
"At some level, his attitude towards Narendra Modi, which is also the reason for the JD (U)-NDA split, is because he does not consider him as a political opposition, but considers him as a political enemy," he said.
Modi also claimed that on October 1, there was a general alert issued across the country that the Indian Mujahideen would target significant spots in the country, in which Bihar was also sent a separated alert.
He also said that he believed the Gujarat Chief Minister was the prime target of the serial bomb blasts, and said that one diffused bomb was found in close proximity to the stage, after Narendra Modi's rally.
"We feel that the perpetrators did not only have the intention of creating panic amongst the crowd, but also think that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was their target. It was a conspiracy to kill him," he said.
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will visit Patna tomorrow to assess the situation on ground in the aftermath of Sunday's serial blasts in the city.
At least seven suspects have been detained in connection with Sunday's serial blasts in Patna in which six people were killed and 83 injured.
While four were nabbed in Patna, three persons were detained in Ranchi last night.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who ended his party's alliance with the BJP in August over the latter's decision to give Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the starring role in its campaign for the national elections, yesterday said there should be no politics over the blasts.
Kumar, who announced Rs.five lakhs as financial assistance for the families of the deceased in the Patna serial blasts, confirmed that there was no intelligence input about the explosions.
Kumar also said the Bihar Police is confident of gaining pivotal information from the suspect regarding the investigation, and was confident of reaching solid conclusions about the perpetrators soon.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condemned the blasts in Patna, and called for urgent steps to identify and take action against those responsible. He appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm.
Dr. Singh also spoke to the Bihar Chief Minister to enquire about the situation and call for immediate and firm action. He also assured the Chief Minister of all central assistance in the investigations.
The low intensity blasts rocked Patna between 9.30 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. yesterday shortly before Modi's address to a 'Hunkar rally' in Gandhi Maidan.
Six of the bombs went off inside and near Gandhi Maidan, the rally venue. The remaining two blasts took place inside a public convenience complex at Patna Junction.
