Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) The Congress Thursday defended remarks of party leader Rahul Gandhi that 99 percent of terror attacks in the country had been stopped and said that the need of the hour was to arrest those responsible for Mumbai blasts that killed 17 people a day earlier.

“The incident (in Mumbai) is very unfortunate. While the security forces have to be correct everytime, the terrorist has to succeed once in his designs. Rahul Gandhi said this evident truth,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said here.

He said the need of the hour was to tighten up our belts, work for providing relief to affected families and arrest those responsible for the incident.

“Hence, irresponsible statements should not be made and I hope opposition will understand,” he said.

Gandhi said in Bhubaneswar Thursday that the government had been prompt in its response to the blasts in Mumbai and emphasised that 99 percent of terror attacks in the country had been halted due to improved intelligence and other measures.

“I don’t say it is impossible…it is very difficult to stop any single terrorist attack,” he said, adding that 99 percent of attacks had been stopped. “We must stop 100 percent attacks,” he said.

Opposition parties criticised Gandhi for stating that every single terror attack could not be stopped, and said it would demoralise Indians and showed a careless attitude on the part of the Congress leader.

Singhvi rejected suggestions that Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil had failed in his role.

“It happened suddenly. There was no prior intelligence…It is time to work collectively,” Singhvi said.