Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday strongly condemned the blasts in Mumbai and directed Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to take stern action against those responsible for the crime.

"I condemn the blasts that occurred in Mumbai in the strongest possible term. It is apparent that they have been planned and executed by anti-national forces," she said in her message of condolence to the members of the bereaved families.

Gandhi was also of the view that these forces should be countered by the agencies of the state and the central government without giving any quarter whatsoever.

The Congress chief said she had spoken to Shinde to ascertain the facts and asked him to take stern steps to deal with the forces responsible for these dastardly crimes.

The Communist Party of India strongly condemned the twin bomb blasts in Mumbai. The party said the situation should not be allowed to turn into a communal flareup.

The guilty must be brought to book and the secular and democratic forces must work for maintaining harmony among people, CPI National Secretary D Raja said.