No threat of imminent terror attack: Chidambaram

Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday admitted that there are terrorist groups plotting attacks against India but assured there is no specific threat of an imminent attack.

"But that does not mean that, as I speak to you, there is a specific threat of an imminent attack anywhere. There are groups which are plotting against India. Therefore the threat against India remains," he said.

"But that does not mean that there is an imminent threat and imminent attack tomorrow or day after," he told reporters while briefing them on the deliberations of the conference of chief ministers on internal security.

Chidambaram was replying to questions about the statement made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his inaugural speech that there was credible information of ongoing plans of terrorist groups to carry out attacks in India.

The home minister said both he and the prime minister have said that despite the fact that the last terrorist attack in India was in November, the gravity of the threat has in no way receded.

"That threat remains. Now when there is a terrorist threat to India, one has to assume that the threat could be to any part of India. I said in my opening statement we cannot afford to lower our guard and we shall not lower our guard," he said.

Asked in view of these statements whether India should continue the policy of trust and verify with Pakistan, Chidambaram said "Yes. I think that is a wise policy statement made after careful deliberations. We must trust and verify in our dealings with Pakistan".

He said that was what the prime minister said and "if you want in colourful language, I can say we should keep our powder dry".

Chidambaram said none of this was contradictory to each other. "The broader thrust of the prime minister's statement is that we must trust but verify is a very wise policy".

Summing up the deliberations, he said that it was his intention to work closely with the state governments and acknowledging the primacy of the state governments in maintaining public order.

"I propose to resume my visits to the states so that the chief ministers of the state and I could jointly review the security situation in that state and examine state-specific needs and issues in some details and take many decisions on the spot," the home minister said.