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Call for probe into blasts from three angles

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI, JUNE 29. The BJP's national general secretary, Mr.Venkaiah Naidu, has urged the Centre and States to conduct probe into the recent bomb blasts in certain places of worship, with three factors in mind, viz. the ISI, religious fundamentalists in the country and the political parties that were trying to destabilise the BJP-led Central Government.

Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, Mr.Naidu criticised the Congress and Left parties for exonerating the ISI and pointing an accusing finger at the RSS, which, he said, was `a national-level organisation known for its patriotism and constructive agenda'. He also gave a call to the Congress and Communist party leadership to rein in their respective cadres from making baseless charges on the Sangh Parivar and its sister concerns. "From Sonia Gandhi to Ajit Jogi to some `chota' Congress leader, everybody is blaming the RSS for the bomb blasts without any evidence. The Congress had a history of dividing people on caste and communal lines, which everybody knows", roared a visibly enraged Mr.Naidu. On the Opposition ruling out the ISI's hand in the blasts, he expressed doubts whether they were pleading the case of the ISI.

Mr.Naidu felt that the blasts had occurred in an `organised way' aimed only at creating distrust among people belonging to various faiths. To drive home his point, he mentioned that there were no casualties reported and no major damage caused to the places of worship, strengthening the suspicion that some `disruptive forces and conspirators' were on their job to sabotage the secular image of the country.

On the third dimension he mentioned the political angle. Mr.Naidu explained the Guntur incident, where a group of miscreants, (including Congress workers, he alleged) went on a rampage damaging RTC buses and other public/private property, perpetrated arson and snatched `mangalasutras' from women, and that all this happened within 15 minutes of the bomb blasts. `This has created a lot of suspicion among the local people, which would see light very soon', he said meaning that the involvement of the Congress in the arson would be proved once the miscreants were brought to book.

On the issue of autonomy to Kashmir, Mr.Naidu disapproved of the resolution made to this effect. He felt that it was that party's `compulsions' that had made it demand autonomy for the State. He added that the BJP was not averse to devolution of powers to Kashmir, but would certainly not agree to the pre-1953 status, if that was what the Kashmir Government wanted.

The State BJP president, Mr.Chilakam Ramachandra Reddy, and the Tirupati MP, Dr.N.Venkataswamy, also participated.

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