Patil holds Raj Govt more responsible for Jaipur blasts

New Delhi, May 21 (UNI) Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today held the Rajasthan government directly responsible for the Jaipur blasts, saying it failed to take note of the Centre's intellegence inputs.

Mr Patil said that after the Ajmer Dargah blasts, the Home Ministry had sent intelligence reports to all state governments, including government of Rajasthan, that religious places could be targeted, so instead of blaming the Centre, the state government should take more responsibility.

''Is it not the responsibility of state governments to act on the ground level, and improve the quality of their intelligence ? Why should the state government take credit when a blast is foiled, and blame the Centre when something goes wrong ?'' he said in an interview to CNN-IBN TV channel.

He also hit back at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for describing the Centre'e intelligence reports to be akin to ''weather reports''.

''I don't know what the Gujarat Chief Minister was trying to say.

Does he want to pinpoint information on when, what day, what time, there will be a terror strike? We are in regular touch with state governments and provide them the information based on what RAW and IB get. Does the state government not have any responsibility in getting its own intelligence inputs ?'' he said.

The Home Minister also denied reports that the National Security Adviser had criticised the central intelligence agencies in the aftermath of the Jaipur blasts. ''To the best of my knowledge, nothing of the sort happened,'' he said.

He rejected the Opposition's demand for bringing back POTA.

The Home Minister expressed willingness to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Prime Minister's proposal to have a federal agency to tackle crimes like terror.

He also said it was too eraly to say just who was behind the Jaipur blasts. ''There is no point saying HUJI one day, SIMI next day. We need to get conclusive evidence before we can firmly say anything,'' said the Mome Minister.

On the criticism that he was a ''soft'' home minister, Mr Patil said, ''Just because I don't shout or enter into a tu tu main main with others does not mean that I am soft. I am doing my duty with commitment, that is all that matters. And can those who were responsible for the Kandahar incident have the moral right to accuse anyone of being soft on terror?'' he added.

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