Centre knew about Delhi blasts: Home Minister

posted under by NSmurthy
Centre knew about Delhi blasts: Home Minister
New Delhi (Ibnlive): Two days after five blasts ripped through Delhi, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday claimed that the Centre had information about the possibility of terror attack on the National Capital even before Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi conveyed it. 
  
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Patil claimed that the information was not actionable since it didn’t provide specifics on when and where the attacks would take place. "It (information) was available with us in Delhi. But what was not available was the timing, the place and the method to be used for the purpose," he said. 
  
Refuting all charges of intelligence failure, he said, "Centre knew about it even before Narendra Modi met the Prime Minister and gave similar inputs." 
  
Brushing aside speculation that he would be asked to step down, Patil asserted that he enjoyed "full blessings" of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. "Well, I have full blessings of my leader," he said. 
  
Asked if he felt troubled over the fact that he was not called by Sonia at a meeting of senior party leaders on Monday, Patil said, "Please don’t put me on the defensive. That is not the style my leader, my party works. My party’s ethos is to do justice and to see that it is done in a manner which contains and controls criminal and terrorist activities and at the same time doesn’t give any opportunity to human rights violation, 
  
The meeting is believed to have been called to discuss Home Minister’s dismal performance in dealing with both terror attacks and the Amarnath land row issue. However, Home Ministry sources defended the meeting had more to do with politics of internal security and the Home Minister presence wasn’t necessary. 
  
Patil is under attack over his ministry’s handling of internal security and even some senior Congress leaders said to be critical of the minister, whose attention to sartorial preferences even during the night of Saturday blasts in Delhi have drawn flak. 
  
But amidst growing demand for Patil’s ouster UPA allies continue to support him. 
  
Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said, “Don’t blame the ministers alone. The second layer of bureaucracy and the police are also responsible. International Bureau is giving vague information about the happenings. Just by introducing POTA we cant fight terrorism.. These things happened earlier as well.”

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