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National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday downplayed the recent twin blasts in Punjab, saying such incidents are not new in the country.
"Hindustan mein blasts hote rehte hain, kaunsi nayi baat hai," Farooq Abdullah told reporters in Hindi, which means 'Explosions keep happening in India; what is new about this?' His remarks came after two explosions were reported in Amritsar and Jalandhar on Tuesday. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, earlier in the day, condemned the incidents and alleged a political motive. He said, "Investigation is underway into these minor blasts. This is the BJP's preparation for the Punjab elections. BJP gets votes by spreading violence and fear among people. I want to tell the BJP to stop. The people of Punjab always want peace. Wherever the BJP has to contest elections, it goes there and creates fights." Congress leader Raj Kumar also questioned the timing of the incidents. He said, "All this is happening because elections are about to take place in the state. This area comes under the central government. Neither the central nor the state government is able to control the situation here. I think there is a conspiracy to rig the elections in Punjab..." In those two consecutive blasts witnessed by Punjab, though no injuries were reported. The first blast took place in Jalandhar after a scooter caught fire around 8 pm outside the Border Security Force Punjab Frontier headquarters. A few hours later, another blast occurred in Khasa near the cantonment area in Amritsar at around 10:50 pm, prompting a response from police and security agencies. Sources said teams from the National Investigation Agency have reached the sites to collect forensic evidence and assist in the investigation. A preliminary probe is underway, and further details are awaited. (ANI)
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