Congress Party on Wednesday defended its leaders visit to Bodh Gaya almost three days after the terror strike in the temple town, saying the ruling party at the Centre does not want to interfere with the inquiries that are going on.
"The evidence is being collected there. She (Sonia Gandhi) went there after proper discussions and at the right time," said Congress spokesperson Renuka Choudhary.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain, who was today not allowed to enter the Bodh Gaya temple because of the arrival of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, questioned as to why the country's Home Minister took so many days in arriving at the blasts site.
"The Home Minister should have come here earlier. He took a long time to come here. When there was a blast in Pune, he went there immediately. Why there was so much delay in coming to Bihar? The BJP would like to raise this question," he said.
Hussain also questioned the absence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also holds with himself the Home portfolio, during Shinde's visit to the pilgrimage site.
The BJP MP from Bhagalpur said a proper discussion between the two leaders on this issue would have been good for Bihar in the long run.
Shinde today said the Central Government is considering the request for deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Bodh Gaya temple in Bihar after the serial blasts there.
Shinde said the government will consider CISF security for holy sites.
Shinde and Sonia Gandhi met officials of the investigation agencies and Bihar Government during which they reviewed the security arrangements after blasts in the temple complex.
The Home Minister after the review meeting said the probe is on by NIA, and added that the investigators would look at all possible angles into the blast.
Shinde informed that cylinders filled with ball bearing were planted at the temple in the night.
The Home Minister and Congress President's visit to Bodh Gaya came a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lashed out at the Centre, and alleged that it was incompetent in tackling terror attacks in the country.
The Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar has come under sharp criticism following the terror strike in the Mahabodhi temple complex.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun probing the serial blasts, which rocked the temple town of Bodh Gaya on Sunday. Two monks were injured in the nine low intensity blasts.
Security agencies suspect that Indian Mujahideen may be behind Sunday's multiple blasts. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blasts.
The Home Ministry has directed all states to ensure foolproof security at Buddhist shrines and Tibetan settlements.
