Attack in Mumbai

[Guest]

Why go and get insulted? Why not just say we do not want to speak ill of the dead especially someone who served the city.

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gujarat CM gets the royal cold shoulder in state
29 Nov 2008, 0221 hrs IST, ET Bureau

MUMBAI: At every step of his visit to Mumbai following the terror attacks, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was shown very clearly that he was not welcome.

Perhaps the strongest rebuff came from the wife of slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who refused to meet him in Mumbai on Friday evening. Mr Modi was critical of ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s investigation of the Malegaon blasts.

Earlier in the day, the Gujarat CM whipped up a mini-storm by visiting the terror attack sites even before Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Mr Modi’s comments evoked a sharp response from the ruling Congress. Mr Modi not only criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, but also announced a Rs 1-crore relief for families of the deceased policemen.

He accused Mr Singh of not doing enough to expose Pakistan’s violation of a UN convention. ”This is the first time Pakistan has allowed the use of sea routes to further terrorism against India I hope the government will take it up at the appropriate level with the global community,” Mr Modi said outside the Oberoi hotel.

He asked the Centre to strongly take up with the international community Islamabad’s ”blatant violation” of a UN convention in this regard. Mr Modi said India and Pakistan were signatories to the UN convention that prohibits use of sea and land boundaries and weapons for terrorism. Pakistan’s marine police is confiscating Indian fishing boats, which are now being used for acts of terror, he said.

Terming as “disappointing” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday, Mr Modi said the Centre should immediately call a meeting of chief ministers to take stock of the situation and work out an effective policy to strengthen the coast guard and navy.

Mr Modi didn’t spare his counterpart in Maharashtra either. He claimed he was denied entry into the region by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his deputy. “I wanted to visit Mumbai on Thursday itself. But Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his deputy denied me permission,” he said. Later, Mr Deshmukh who was following Mr Modi, returned the favour saying, “Some people can’t resist using every occasion for political gains. Mr Modi is one such person.”

Mr Deshmukh made it clear that security agencies said ‘no’, not just to Mr Modi. Mr Singh too was advised not to visit places “yet to be sanitised”. He said the state government requested the prime minister not to visit the site of gun battles, and the PM instead went to JJ Hospital to talk to the injured last night. “But Mr Modi insisted on visiting these places,” he said.

Asked to comment on Mr Modi’s assessment of the PM’s address as “disappointing”, the CM said, ”It is not fair to make political statements.” Asked why his government could not stop Mr Modi from coming, Mr Deshmukh said: “Marathi culture does not allow that.”

Minister of state for home SP Jaiswal criticised the Gujarat chief minister for his “untimely” remarks. “Isn’t it ironic that the same Mr Modi was critical of ATS chief Hemant Karkare for his investigation of the Malegaon bomb blasts? And he now had to go to his house to pay tribute,” he said.
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