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Gujarat unit's hasty bandh call puts Congress in a fix

The Congress on Wednesday was caught in a bind, finding it difficult to explain the urgent call for a state-wide bandh (general strike) by its Gujarat unit to protest against the attack on the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, while the central leadership claimed that all parties required to operate on one wavelength and the issue should not be made a bone of partisan contention.

Finding it difficult to wriggle out of the questions posed by reporters, particularly when pressed to clarify if the party was giving a clean chit to the government on the question of a major security lapse, Congress spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said, "At the moment we need to handle it in a mature manner as there would be occasions for us to look into those aspects. Today is not the day."

He added, "First of all, there is a need to restore normalcy and provide a sense of security to the people. This attack poses a monumental challenge to the genius and resilience of our democratic polity."

Reddy, who tried to underplay Gujarat Congress chief Shankarsinh Vaghela's open call to the government to "stop giving lectures about cross-border terrorism and instead cross the border itself", said the decision on the state-wide bandh was not taken by Vaghela alone, but was an impromptu response of the entire Gujarat unit.

He clarified that the call was given to mourn the death of people who had fallen prey to the terrorist attack and to "offer prayers for peace and harmony". He said the people of Gujarat were passing through unprecedented trauma.

Asked why the party always rallies behind the government after such incidents instead of exposing its security lapses, Reddy said, "We have to lend support to the government in regard to cross-border terrorism because they are not partisan issues, but national issues." He added, "We are not at this stage pronouncing our statements on security lapses."

Appealing to all state governments in the country to be on alert to forestall any mischief by anti-national elements, Reddy said, "We are confident our systems will prove equal to the task. At the outset we offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who died in yesterday's terrorist attack, and to the two security personnel who laid down their lives while trying to save the people from the sudden attack."

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