Nowgam blast wake up call for Centre to strengthen intelligence: Kharge
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Srinagar blast is a wake up call for the Central government to strengthen intelligence and anti-terror mechanism, saying that it cannot run away from accountability.
He also demanded an urgent all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism that continues to receive support from external forces.
In an X post, Kharge expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the accidental blast at Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir and called for urgent medical attention to the injured and compensation to them and the next of kin of the deceased.
"It is extremely disconcerting and sad to know that nine precious lives have been lost and 24 people have been injured in a blast at a police station in Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir...
"My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. The injured must be treated with prompt medical supervision and adequate compensation must be provided to the victims," Kharge said.
He said these developments come days after the cowardly car blast terror attack near Red Fort in Delhi, and "is a wake up call for the Union government to strengthen intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms. It cannot run away from accountability."
The Indian National Congress stands with the nation against the scourge of terrorism, the party chief asserted.
"In light of the recent Red Fort terror attack, there is an urgent need to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism, which continues to receive backing and support from external forces," he said in the post.
An accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station here, killing nine people and injuring 32, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Nalin Prabhat said on Saturday, while ruling out any sabotage angle.
He said the blast occurred on Friday night when a specialised team was extracting samples from a large and "unstable" cache of explosives confiscated from Haryana's Faridabad district in connection with the ongoing investigation into a "white collar terror module".
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Will continue to keep tab on development work in Bihar: Nitish to JD(U) MLAs
Patna (PTI): JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Monday told party legislators that he will continue to keep a tab on the development work in Bihar despite having given up the chief minister's post a week ago.
Kumar addressed a meeting of the legislative party at 1, Anney Marg, which is the official residence of the chief minister and which the JD(U) supremo, now a Rajya Sabha MP, had occupied for nearly two decades.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, "Our party leader has said that except for sessions of Parliament, which would require his presence in Delhi, he will spend his maximum time in Bihar."
"Nitish Kumar told us that he will ensure that the good work done while he was in power continues under the new government, in which the JD(U) is an important partner. To keep a tab, he will tour the state in due course," Neeraj Kumar said.
The JD(U) spokesperson was asked about speculations that the meeting had been convened to decide on the role to be assigned to Nishant, the party supremo's son, who joined the JD(U) last month, but has declined to accept a ministerial berth in the Samrat Choudhary government.
"There is no confusion about the role of Nishant, who has been accepted by the party as the leader of the future. In any case, there was no discussion on him today," Neeraj Kumar said.
Nitish Kumar has been authorised by the legislators to decide on choosing the legislative party leader, he added.
Among those present at the meeting were Union minister and former JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' and Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.
Interestingly, don turned politician Anant Kumar Singh, who represents Mokama assembly seat, claimed after the meeting that MLAs were asked by the supreme leader to try and win "200 seats in the next elections".
"Nitish Kumar ji told us that he will now be more easily available for party workers and general public. He also said that he will extensively tour the state and asked us to work hard so that the party wins 200 seats in the next elections", said Singh, who is often in news for putting his foot in the mouth.
The Bihar assembly is 243-strong and the JD(U)'s current tally is 85, four less than ally BJP, which is the single largest party.
The JD(U)'s best-ever performance was in 2010, when it had contested 142 seats and won 115 of these. It was also the highest tally for any single party since Bihar's truncation in 2000, until when Jharkhand was part of the state and assembly had 324 seats.
