Tariq Anwar demands CBI inquiry into 7/11 bomb blasts

Mumbai, Dec 25 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national general secretary Tariq Anwar today demanded a CBI inquiry into the 7/11 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai's suburban trains, in which nearly two hundred people were killed and over 700 others injured.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Anwar said, ''The party is of the view that since there is a demand from people that CBI inquiry should held into the incident, it should be considered.'' His statement assumes significance as his party's leader and Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil had ruled out the demand for CBI inquiry, maintaining that the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) would do the same.

City NCP unit president Sachin Ahir and party spokesman Madan Bafna had also made similar demands earlier.

Speaking about the alliance with Congress for 10 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and 27 zilla parishads, the NCP leader said ''We want that an alliance with Congress and Republican Party of India (RPI) should be there to keep Shiv Sena-BJP combine out of power. The Congress should take initiative for the same.'' He said the talks between the two parties for the BMC were on and it would be completed by December 30.

Lamenting the Khairlanji incident in which four members of a dalit family were killed in September, Mr Anwar said the government ordered CBI inquiry into the incident considering the people's demand and emotions.

Asked to explain what NCP supremo Sharad Pawar meant when he stated that people like him had to pay the price for raising certain issues about Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr Anwar strongly denied that it was meant to be a feeler to Congress for 'merger'.

''There is no question of merger with the Congress,'' he pointed out.

He said ''We have never opposed Ms Gandhi as Congress president, but had raised doubts about her becoming the Prime Minister.'' Incidentally, Mr Anwar was one of the three leaders who had raised doubts about Ms Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister.

Strongly supporting the Sachar Committee's recommendations on minorities, he said Quami Tanzeem would organise a seminar on February 4 here, in which discussions would be held about its recommendations and implementation.

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