Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Sunday defended the Andhra Pradesh government and said it was not the proper time to blame 'each other' in the wake of the bomb blasts in Hyderabad, which claimed 40 lives.
Asked if the Hyderabad blasts were due to the failure of central and state intelligence agencies, he said: "Let us not start by blaming each other at this point of time. If the investigation says that it is so, we can take corrective action. But why should be start by demoralising our own people."
To another query if there was specific input with intelligence on the possibility of blasts in Hyderabad, he said, "There are bits of info available with us, (but) what is not available with us is the time and place."
On L K Advani's demand for revival of POTA, Patil said, "The kind of debate that takes in Parliament, I don't want to have it here. We will have the debate in Parliament. I don't want to comment on what somebody says and somebody comments on what I say. It is not a good thing. What they felt right they did, what we felt right, we have done. It is not as if this incident has happened due to the absence of POTA. When POTA was there, similar incidents had happened."
He also declined comment on Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy's statement blaming the terror agencies from Pakistan and Bangladesh for the blasts.
"These are the things which will not be openly discussed. And this kind of info is definitely shared and will be definitely shared with the state agencies. These are the things on which we should comment only when investigation is complete," he observed.
He refused to spell out the measures being taken to curb the menace posed by terrorists. "It is not necessary to discuss it openly. The first thing is we have already taken certain steps like enhancing the strength of the police force, modernising the equipment that is given to them, communication, transport and intelligence facilities and things like that," he said.
He added: "We are sorry but we are not cowed down. We will definitely see to it that it is reduced and eliminated ultimately."
With inputs from Vicky Nanjappa in Hyderabad and PTI
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