The Opposition in Maharashtra legislative assembly on Tuesday took the government to task over its "apathetic" and "negligent" attitude towards the security concerns of the metropolis and said it had lost the moral right to continue in office.
Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena members who participated in the debate stopped short of demanding Home Minister R R Patil's resignation saying that he himself should give up the home portfolio.
"We have no problem with Patil handling any other ministry than home," they said. Initiating the marathon debate in the lower house on the 13/7 triple bomb blasts, Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse said Mumbai, which has witnessed repeated terror attacks since March 1993, was the most unsafe city in the country.
"This government has no will power to tackle terrorism and has lost all confidence of the people," Khadse said.
The Opposition leader said Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan himself had shown his lack of faith in Home Minister R R Patil when he declared that giving the crucial Home department to the Nationalist Congress Party in 1999 when the Cong-NCP government was first formed, was a "mistake".
"You have admitted your mistake. When will you correct it?" Khadse asked looking at Chavan, who was present in the House. Criticising the government for the failure of intelligence, Khadse cited a Government Resolution and said the government had asked department to spy on political parties rather than focus on intelligence gathering to tackle terrorism.
"14 days have passed since the bomb blasts at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar, that killed 24 people and injured over 130. No headway has been done in the investigations so far," he lamented.
Khadse said security at Railways, which is the lifeline of Mumbai was extremely lax and no steps are being taken to monitor movements on the railway tracks and platforms. "Don't compromise with security for political compulsions," he said.
NCP leader Nawab Malik was equally critical of the intelligence agencies saying that the blasts took place due to intelligence failure. "It was known in 1992 that some Students Islamic Movement of India activists have been taken to Pakistan for arms training. The intelligence agencies sat over the information for 12 years before the organization was banned in 2003," he said.
The former minister said the air of mistrust towards the minority community could spoil the atmosphere of unity and brotherhood in the country. "This should not be allowed. Innocent people should not be harassed just because they belong to a particular community. Misguided youth who are not yet got involved in acts of terror and crime should be given a chance to come back to the mainstream," he said.
Malik also called for the need to ban source based news reports till the investigations are completed, as it can create suspicion about a particular community.
"In the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, media there did not show a single dead body. Media here should learn from this," he said. Malik charged that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Indresh Kumar, who had allegedly received Rs 21 crore from the Inter-Services Intelligence to carry out disruptive activities in the country, came to Pune to provoke Muslim youth.
"What are the security agencies doing? Why are they not taking action against him," he asked. This was objected to by Devendra Phadanvis from the BJP who said there was no charge of this kind against Indresh Kumar.
Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena said that 13/7 blasts took place because of the "negligence" of the government. He said the Ram Pradhan committee had mentioned about Pune being under the terror radar because like Mumbai, it is too frequented by foreigners.
"The government ignored this advice and the German bakery blast took place after 26/11," he said. Desai criticised the government for not creating enough infrastructure for upgrading Mumbai's security.
"What is the use of CCTVs when you don't have the infrastructure to monitor the images, ensuring proper conviction and later immediate punishment," he asked. MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar demanded a permit system for entry into Mumbai.
He displayed a PAN card of Minister of State for Home Satej Patil which he said was a fake card made in Belapur, Navi Mumbai. "If such fake cards can be made for Rs 400, Mumbai's security can be compromised to inflict maximum damage and the government is helpless," he said and demanded resignation of Mumbai commissioner of police and state director general of police.
Devendra Phadanvis of the BJP said that terrorists use emails and cell phones and the government does not have electronic intelligence system in place to track such anti-national activities.
He said there is no coordination between security agencies and felt the need to have IP cameras instead of CCTVs.
