“Don't blame Home Minister for everything that goes wrong. The resignation of (Shivraj) Patil is no solution to terrorism problem,” Railways Minister Lalu Prasad said in New Delhi amid growing calls for Patil's resignation after serial bombings in Delhi.
“If Patil's resignation can resolve the issue of terrorism, then we will tell him to resign tomorrow. Ye iska koi solution nahin hain (This is no solution),” Lalu Prasad told IANS in a conversation here.
“It's the job of the home minister to look after law and order in the country. People are prone to blame home minister every time such an incident takes place. But such a thing does not lead anywhere,” he said.
“What is needed is a strengthening of policing and intelligence. Prevention is better than cure,” the minister said.
After five bombings in the Indian capital Saturday evening claimed at least 23 lives, the opposition parties have demanded Patil's resignation, accusing him of failure to combat terrorism effectively.
"I urge (United Progressive Alliance chairperson) Sonia Gandhi to call an all-party meeting on terror," Lalu Prasad said.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief also rejected reports that terrorists find it easy to target India.
“Yeh India ka problem nahin hain. Ye to America main bhi ho raha hai. (This is not India's problem alone. Terrorism is also happening in America.),” he said when asked why more terror attacks had occurred in the past two years than at any other time in the country's recent history.
{{/usCountry}}“Yeh India ka problem nahin hain. Ye to America main bhi ho raha hai. (This is not India's problem alone. Terrorism is also happening in America.),” he said when asked why more terror attacks had occurred in the past two years than at any other time in the country's recent history.
{{/usCountry}}“It is happening all over the world,” Lalu Prasad insisted.
Yadav fiercely opposed a special anti-terrorism law, the pet theme of chief opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, saying a new law can't solve everything. “The issues are those of implementation, and not law,” he said.
He called for political parties to rise above politics and tackle forces that are conspiring to destroy Hindu-Muslim 'sadbhavana' (communal amity) in the country.
“Ye rajniti ka samai nahin hai (This is no time for politics),” he said.