Intelligence failure responsible for Tuesday's blasts:Jyoti Basu

Kolkata, Jul 14 (UNI) Veteran CPI(M) Politbureau member Jyoti Basu today alleged that intelligence failure was responsible for Tuesday's serial blasts in Mumbai and Srinagar.

''It was a total intelligence failure,'' he told reporters after attending the party's state secretariat meeting here.

More than 200 people were killed in serial blasts in Mumbai's suburban trains and stations, while nine people, including seven tourists, died in grenade attacks by unidentified persons in Srinagar.

Mr Basu observed that the kind of violence witnessed by Mumbai and Srinagar showed lack of peace in both the places.

''There is no peace and order there,'' he said.

The former chief minister's comment came a day after his junior colleague in the Politbureau and the party's state committee secretary Biman Basu called for a stepped up intelligence vigil against such activities. He, however, refused to hold either the Centre or the Congress-led governments in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir responsible for the incident.

UNI KDG PL KLC1446