Search the Internet          Tips

K P S Gill slams parties for 'politics of bandh'

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

K P S Gill, former security adviser to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, has criticised the Congress party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena for resorting to 'politics of bandhs' to register their protest against the terrorist attack on Aksharadham temple in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.

Speaking to rediff.com in New Delhi, Gill said the time has come for the nation to put an end to terrorism 'once and for all with an iron hand'.

He also criticised the political parties for speaking in different voices when the government was 'trying to push a legislation [Prevention of Terrorism Act] to fight terrorism in the country'.

He denied that there any intelligence failure. "We had some information that terrorists could strike but there was no specific input about where they would strike. The conspiracy in this case, it seems, was hatched outside Gujarat. It was possibly done either in Pakistan or in Jammu and Kashmir. That is why the Gujarat police had no inkling of it," he said.

Gill, former director general of Punjab police who had successfully put down militancy in the state in the early 1990's, said, "They [terrorists] were motivated to carry out the attack. The markings on the weapons used by the terrorists had been scratched to prevent pinpointing of the source of supply of the weapons."

He came down heavily on those who described the entire minority community as 'traitors'. "I am surprised that such elements are given time by private television channels on their networks," he said.

He said there was no need for the intervention of the National Security Guards to 'neutralise' the two terrorists. "The task should have been accomplished by the commandos of the Gujarat police."

He also said that though the NSG commandos had boarded their plane within an hour of the incident, formal orders for the flushing out operations were given hours later. "The whole thing could have been over quickly had the things been worked out in proper manner."

He advocated early election in Gujarat for bringing normalcy back in the state. "I feel that all those who colluded to postpone election in the state are in some way responsible for the instability in the state."

The Temple Attack: Complete Coverage
The Swaminarayan sect

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report