Bangalore blast: BJP target as terror returns to the city

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: An explosion near the office of the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party in Bangalore injured at least 16 people and set off political recriminations in Karnataka, which elects a new assembly on May 5. The Wednesday-morning blast is thought to have originated from an improvised explosive device placed inside a motorcycle parked near the BJP’s headquarters.

LR Pachau, the director-general of police, said that the investigation was at a preliminary stage and no firm conclusions could be drawn but the state’s home minister R Ashoka was less circumspect. It is a very clear act of terror... It is targeted at the BJP, our senior leaders and workers,” he said.

The first political punch was thrown by the Congress’ former union minister Shakeel Ahmad, who wrote on microblogging site Twitter that “If the blast near BJP’s office in Bangalore is a terror attack, it will certainly help the BJP politically on the eve of elections.”

The Congress, which is expected to become the single-largest party after the election, was clearly embarrassed and deployed spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi for damage control. “Any terror incident is a matter of concern... it is a national and international problem... it should not be seen as political gain,” he said.


But the BJP, whose five-year rule of Karnataka has been marred by corruption scandals and political infighting, was not willing to let go so easily. Spokeswoman Meenakshi Lekhi said Ahmed’s statement was a sign that the Congress “has already accepted defeat.” And BJP president Rajnath Singh said the explosion was the “latest failure” of the UPA government in containing terrorist activities.

“Acts of terror are taking place across the country. It is a ground reality that there are several sleeper modules which are playing their roles in different places. The government is not making any effort to destroy these sleeper cells,” he said in Delhi.

The latest attack takes place exactly three years after two bombs exploded in the city’s Chinnaswamy stadium during an Indian Premier League match, injuring 15. A third explosive device was found and defused outside the stadium.

Officials in the home ministry said Bangalore had a lucky escape because ticket distribution for the election was on till few days ago with large crowds outside the BJP office. A gas agency, too, was near where the blast took place. Terrorists were looking to inflict heavy casualties but got the timing wrong, an official said. Teams from the National Investigation have been sent to Bangalore for the probe. With the election only a few days away, security forces are already in Karnataka in large numbers.