Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday called Amit Shah the "most incompetent Home Minister" in independent India and demanded his resignation, alleging intelligence failure in the wake of the blast in Delhi that left 12 people dead.
Speaking to reporters, he questioned Centre's accountability and asked "how many more people should die".
The Congress leader pointed to various terror incidents across the country and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not acting against Amit Shah, who is referred as "modern Sardar Patel" by his supporters.
"Amit Shah is the most incompetent Home Minister in independent India. How many more people should lose their lives? Delhi, Manipur, Pulwama, Pehalgam -- Have we got answers? Being a Home Minister he goes on election stage and says that Bangladeshis are infiltrating into India. Who is responsible for it? Is the opposition responsible for it?" Kharge asked.
"There is no accountability. He (Shah) is often referred to as the modern Sardar Patel, and repeatedly claims are made about a 56-inch chest. How many more people have to lose their lives before he resigns?"
He further asked: "Why is Modi afraid to act against Amit Shah? Is he worried that his Gujarat secrets will come out in the open? There is a limit for everything, they are testing the patience of the people. In any other country, the Home Minister would have resigned by now. How many more people should die? There is intelligence failure... He should resign immediately."
The blast occurred in a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station in Delhi on Monday evening, killing 12 people and gutting several vehicles, officials said.
Kharge sought to know whether the central government would be held accountable.
"Where are those RSS -- patriots? Send them to the border. They speak big, big things, what do they have to say in this situation?...where is the modern Sardar Patel? Let him give accountability," he added.
Senior Trinamool Congress Abhishek Banerjee condoled the deaths in the Delhi blast and attacked the Ministry of Home Affairs over what he termed as "grave lapses" in internal security.
Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary, said in a post on X that he was "deeply shocked and anguished".
"My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families and my prayers are with those recovering from their injuries. It is extremely distressing that such an incident has taken place in the heart of our national capital," he said.
Attacking the Centre, the Lok Sabha MP said that Delhi Police, which operates under the Union Home Ministry, "bears the primary responsibility for maintaining law and order".
"How, then, are such grave lapses in security being allowed to occur?" he asked.
Banerjee also referred to the seizure of nearly 350 kg of explosives and an assault rifle from Faridabad in Haryana on Sunday, noting that the two incidents, when viewed together, "raise alarming questions about internal security and the evident decline in vigilance".
He demanded an impartial, time-bound investigation.
"An impartial, time-bound investigation must be conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), under court supervision if necessary, to uncover the truth and ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable," he said.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Maji criticised the BJP-led central government over the blast, questioning how such a major incident could occur "right under its nose and a day before Bihar elections."
Questioning the timing of the incident, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "Is an incident like this a day ahead of the polling merely a coincidence, or is there a conspiracy behind it? This is something to think about and a matter of investigation."
Terming it a major security lapse, Maji said, "The central government should be ashamed and must answer how such a massive accident happened right under its nose."
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