PM was to be at Trident three days after Mumbai attacks: BJP

New Delhi, Dec 1: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday said the intelligence lapse in the Mumbai attacks was more alarming given that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to be at Oberoi Trident Nov 29, but the security agencies did not have any inkling of people sneaking into the city three days ahead of this.

The Mumbai strikes started Nov 26 and lasted for four days, claiming over 180 lives and injuring 300. Besides the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, the Oberoi Trident was targetted
by the terrorists.

"The intelligence agencies usually conduct a security drill, sanitise the venue of a prime minister's visit three days in advance and collect inputs to ensure he is not at a risk. But they all seemed to be in the dark," Jaitely told reporters at the party headquarters here.

The BJP leader said Singh was to attend a function organised by The Economic Times, the business daily from The Times Group, at the Trident. "Imagine a scenario if this had happened three days later," he said.

Jaitely said the Congress was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea over the issue of terrorism. "If the government acts tough, the party (Congress) will lose its votebank and if it does not, the people will throw them out," he said.

When the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government brought a legislation like Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), the Congress objected to it saying the law was against the minorities. "The party is facing the consequences of this attitude," he said.

He welcomed that a federal agency to deal with terrorism is being set up but said this should be accompanied by suitable legislation.