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Statement by Shri L.K. Advani
Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha)
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New Delhi ? 27 November 2008
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- The terrorist attack on Mumbai is an audacious challenge to India?s Nation-State.?
- While maintaining calm and unity, we must all resolve to break the back of India?s enemies.
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I am traumatized by the events in Mumbai since last night. Clearly, the terrorists have declared a full-scale war on India and sought to sever the country?s economic nerve with their meticulously planned carnage across the metropolis. The magnitude of their sinister design and determination is evident from the fact that they are yet to be fully over-powered. They are still holding people hostage in some leading hotels and private houses more than 12 hours after starting the onslaught on innocent people in various parts of the city.
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No other city in our country has borne the brunt of terrorism so repeatedly and in so deadly a fashion as Mumbai. In earlier terrorist acts in Mumbai as well as in other places in India, outside Jammu & Kashmir, the attacks have been mostly in the form of bomb blasts by anonymous persons. For the first time, last night, terrorists have also resorted to indiscriminate firing at a crowded railway station, hospital, luxury hotels, cinema halls, and residential buildings. Also, for the first time, the fidayeen attackers have held foreigners as hostages. As many as 100 persons have been killed in this mayhem.
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Last night?s terrorist attack using grenades, other explosives and AK-47 rifles is in a very significant way a continuation of the first episode of serial bomb blasts in Mumbai on 12 March 1993.
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It appears 26 November 2008 is a continuation of 13 March 1993.
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In the context of what has happened last night in Mumbai, there is no doubt that both the UPA Government at the Centre and the Congress-NCP coalition Government in Maharashtra have a lot to answer for. However, I shall not comment on this aspect now as today is not the occasion to do so.
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Right now, the need of the hour is for the people of Mumbai, Maharashtra and the entire country to stay united and calm. Maintenance of peace, tranquility, communal harmony and patriotic unity must be our highest priority.
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I spoke to the Prime Minister last night to express my concern as soon as I heard the news. Today morning he called me to suggest that both of us should travel together to Mumbai to examine the situation, express solidarity with the security forces and also try to provide succour to the victims of the tragedy. I have readily agreed to his proposal. Accordingly, I deferred my plan to leave for Mumbai immediately.
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I pay homage to all the brave policemen and police officers who confronted the terrorists by risking their lives. In particular, I feel sad that Hemant Karkare, chief of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Maharashtra, senior police officers Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar have lost their lives in yesterday?s operation. Coming in the wake of the recent martyrdom of police officer Mohan Chand Sharma in an encounter with terrorists in New Delhi, these acts of dedicated service and sacrifice have earned our security forces the gratitude of the nation.
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Filed under: Chhattisgarh Polls 2008, Delhi Polls 2008, Lok Sabha Polls 2008-2009, Madhya Pradesh Polls 2008, War on Terror, betrayal of aam admi
Why is LKA going there? What will he do? As Home Minister what did he do? And don’t give me the shit that says he was 100 times better than Shiraj eunuch Patil.
Modi type swift action is what we all need.
Many of our great Jawans and ordinary people have lost their lives at the altar of barbarous terrorism. We bow before them in homage. We pray that God give them the courage to overcome their grief.
Yes, we should keep calm and should resolve to fight terrorism with all our might. We know the present dispensation cannot do it. They don’t have the will to do it.
Star News reports that the terrorists nay have come through see route by MV Alfa. There was also an interview with an eye witness who saw eight persons disembarking from speed boat with vest and all that and thereafter two men went bank. Similarly they must have disembarked at several places. Why our intelligence agencies and coast guard could not do any thing. Why they utterly failed in their duty. A thorough probe is necessary.
Well the Taj Mahal crisis is sorted out.
I am hopping mad at being COMPELLED BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT PROOVE THE SPIRIT OF BOMBAY!!!!
I sit here on my ass, at my home scanning channels with burning rage in me.
For a change, I turned to BBC and CNN to hear their perspective, here are my findings:
1. Mumbai is the most soft target in India
2. A collosal failure of Indian Intelligence
3. Indian Intelligence must turn the city and the country inside out till the time they get some answers(Paula Newman – CNN)
4. These blasts have sullied the image of India and investments might suffer.
5. Cricket-Sport events might be cancelled and foreign players will not play in India, that will effect the sport industry.
6. Terrorists have an AL QAEDA IMPRINT (CNN), by targetting westerners
7. Terrorrists have suceeded in their mission by drawing the worlds attention.
8. Every mjor country ( western only) is watching the situation very closely as this is a new kind of terror attack.
AND YES BOTH CHANNELS REPEATEDLY SAID THAT IT IS ISLAMIC TERRORISM, NO SECULAR BS FOR THEM
Guys,
I really like the Belgian Indophile’s perspective is that India does not understand the Islamic problem at all. We keep saying that muslims are guilty. His view is that muslims are not the problem. Islam is. I totally agree. Everything they are doing is supported strongly by the Quran. They really think they are fighting a holy war. Our political parties need to shed the pc and call a spade a spade. This intellectual honesty is completely absent in our public discourse. A nominal muslim is not the issue, but the Islamist is a serious problem.
I feel that any attempt to delay storming of Trident would be used by the terrorists to plant explosives and bring down the whole building.
For anyone interested, read Koenraad Elst’s website and books. They are truly eye opening and one can realise how indoctrinated our education system is.
Why is LKA going to Mumbai with MMS. MMS govt has shown utter disregard for BJP’s demand to deal with terror firmly. Instead they have blamed Hindus for being terrorists. And now LKA is going with MMS to Mumbai.
One terrorist caught by NSG, told that he is from LET and has close links in Delhi Crime Branch
LKA statement is absolutely correct at this scinerio, there will come enough occasion to deliver the strong statement to enemy and secular parties and media. Now we should stay calm and become detemined within ourself to get rid of present goverment and the hidden apologist of terrorism.
[...] L K Advani had spoken to Prime Minister Singh to offer support and solidarity at this time. This too was the right thing to say, and [...]
@jackie
Look mate jackie is it a time for mr advani to be critical about a dead person who has layed his life for country..Look he may have been taken the malegaon issue quiet seriously but that was his duty and don’t forget the service done by the ATS in preventing many such attacks earlier..
I dont see these are terrortists, since in the times of suicide bombing, no such acts are used.
Instead these are specially traned gunmens – these resemble more of Millitiary attack by a Intelligence agency
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/agency/IANS/
@ Deepak
>>> One terrorist caught by NSG, told that he is from LET and has close links in Delhi Crime Branch
What rubbish. The second part. Wherever you saw it, read it again.