Coimbatore blasts part of a bigger conspiracy, says BJP
R R Nair in New Delhi
The Bharatiya Janata Party sees a larger conspiracy in the serial bomb blasts of Coimbatore which took a toll of 60 lives.
The intelligence agencies, BJP sources told Rediff On The NeT, had information in November of an impending serial bomb blast once the holy month of Ramzan was over.
"There surely is a conspiracy to liquidate the BJP's top leadership. Earlier on February 5, there was an attempt on Vajpayee's life in Thanjavur. Even then why didn't the government ban the Islamic organisations? If they ban a
Muslim organisation as a corollary they will have to ban a Hindu organisation. So for political convenience the government thought that it would be better to leave the matter as it is," says a high-ranking BJP official.
In the Thanjavur blast two people were killed at a rice mill close to the venue of BJP prime ministerial candidate Atal Bihari Vajpayee's public meeting.
Large quantities of explosives, including gelatine sticks, were seized from the rice mill which was sealed later.
Now after the arrest of nine youths from Thrissur in Kerala on Thursday, BJP leaders draw a larger picture of
conspiracy and point out an incident that happened in Palakkad in Kerala that borders Tamil Nadu and is just a few hours's drive from Coimbatore.
Even in its November 30, 1997 edition, the BJP weekly Organiser had carried a report on the now-banned Islamic group Al-Umma's plans to eliminate BJP vice-president O Rajagopal.
Just a couple of days ago, on February 18, there was an alleged break-in at Rajagopal's Delhi home after which reportedly many valuable documents on Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency's activities in India and Rajagopal's correspondence with the intelligence agencies were missing.
The Parliament Street police have registered a case and is looking into the alleged break-in. Rajagopal is
campaigning for the party in Kerala, which goes to the polls on February 28.
The parliamentary standing committee headed by the BJP's leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sikander Bakht had noted the Tamil Nadu police's complaint that some of the fundamentalist organisations in that state have kept open an escape route to Kerala.
Last year, there were reports about an attempt to plant a bomb in Rajagopal's home in Palakkad and it was alleged that Al-Umma had used a sex racket in Palakkad for this purpose.
The woman who ran the sex racket under the cover of a beauty parlour in Palakkad was supposedly funded by Al-Umma.
The woman, according to a first information report filed by the local police, sought the help of a block
development officer, who was close to politicians, to plant a bomb in several local leaders's homes
including Rajagopal's.
The BDO backed out of the alleged conspiracy and it was during his confession to the police that the whole affair came to light.
RELATED REPORTS:
More bombs recovered in Coimbatore
T V R Shenoy: The DMK, far from being abashed, is taking credit for keeping L K Advani safe!
EARLIER REPORTS:
Nine youth arrested in Kerala for involvement in Coimbatore blasts
Coimbatore poll shifted to Feb 28, car-bomb defused
Four boys killed in fresh Coimbatore blast
Official toll at 49, army's bomb disposal experts called in
33 killed in Coimbatore serial blasts
Elections '98
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