Take home finance, give us chief minister's post: NCP

Barely 48 hours after serial bomb blasts rocked Mumbai, Congress and the NCP are at loggerheads over portfolio allocations.

To a comment from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan that it was a mistake not to keep the home, finance and planning portfolios with the CM, the NCP top leadership asked for a swap: Home and finance for the CM’s post!

Chavan later retracted his statement and said that he had been quoted out of context.

“We are ready to swap, provided the Congress is willing to part with the chief minister’s post inclusive of ministry of urban development and housing. In the bargain we are willing to hand over home, finance and planning,” the NCP said. Earlier, Chavan told TV channels, “I think it was a mistake. We should have re-looked at it. I don’t know of any other coalition government where the portfolios of home, finance and planning are not with the chief minister.”

He qualified this with: “This was a division agreed to by us in 1999 when Congress-NCP first came to power in the state. That pattern was based on the model adopted by the Shiv Sena-BJP government during 1995-99.”

The NCP said it was a veiled attack against its cabinet ministers and also a comment on their “underperformance”. Congress political managers swung into damage control, stating that Chavan was just putting facts into perspective, not implying any changes in the portfolio share nor commenting on the home minister’s performance.

“First of all I would like to assert that the chief minister is the head of the government. Every decision related to any portfolio put forth in the cabinet requires his consent. Secondly, he has powers to take any decision related to any department,” state NCP president Madhukar Picchad said. “The division of portfolio was mutually taken by high commands of the Congress and the NCP in 1999. By questioning the decision is the chief minister trying to suggest the top leaders made a mistake?”

A senior state cabinet minister (NCP) said, “Padmasinh Patil held the home portfolio when Sharad Pawar was the chief minister of state.”

During the Shiv Sena and BJP government (1995-199), chief minister was Manohar Joshi who retained urban development and Gopinath Munde was home minister. Later, Narayan Rane was the chief minister and Munde retained the home portfolio. The minister further said, “Chavan who has worked in centre should understand that home ministry is held by PC Chidambaram and not prime minister Manmohan Singh.”

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) sought to put an end to the controversy stating that this was not the time to fight over portfolios.

After the 2009 state assembly elections the then chief minister Ashok Chavan had suggested that ministry of home should be handed to Congress. He said the CM should be incharge of home affairs.

Top NCP central leaders dismissed the suggestion. They indicated that if Congress insisted on home they would not entertain any discussions on government formation.

CCTVs reveal vital info about Mumbai serial blasts: Maha C.M.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday said that the security cameras installed around the blast sites in Mumbai have given very crucial information and they are being examined and analysed.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister has also said that the state Home Minister RR Patil informed the Cabinet on the investigations in Wednesday's blast.

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday held a special meeting to discuss the fallout of Wednesday's bomb blasts. The state Cabinet discussed about the medical facilities of the injured. Security post 26/11 was also discussed.

Terror struck Mumbai once again on Wednesday when three bomb blasts rocked some of the most crowded places of the city killing at least 17 people and injuring 131 others.

The first blast took place at 6:54 PM at south Mumbai's crowded Zaveri Bazaar. Within a few minutes Opera House and Dadar, too, were hit by powerful explosions.

Wednesday's blasts took place just two days after the fifth anniversary of the Mumbai serial train blasts on July 11, 2006 in which at least 186 people were killed. The blasts also evoked horrific memories of serial
blasts in the past as both Dadar and Zaveri Bazar have been targeted earlier too.

Mumbai serial blasts were coordinated terror attack: P Chidambaram

Union home minister P Chidambaram said
on Thursday that Wednesday's Mumbai
blasts were coordinated terror attack and
that all groups that are capable of carrying
out such blasts are suspects. The home
minister said that the government did not
have any intelligence inputs about
Wednesday's
blast with central and state agencies.
Ammonium nitrate with timer devices were
used in the IEDs in Mumbai, Chidambaram
said. It was not a remotely triggered blast
and the Dadar blast was a low intensity one,
he added.
He put the death toll at 18 and said that the
number of injured stand at 131 including 23
who are seriously in Wednesday's blasts.
Maharashtra chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan
announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for
families of blast victims.

Anger on the streets of Mumbai after serial blasts

Witnesses recal the horror of the
triple blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday
evening at Dadar, Zaveri Bazar and Opera
House. The three most crowded business
districts in the city were targeted at peak
office leaving times between 6:50 pm and
7:05 pm, leaving scores dead and injured.
An eye witness Hemant said, "the sight was
something so bad that unfortunately no one
who saw it live will forget it."
Scenes at the hospitals were heart rending
as anxious relatives flocked to various
hospitals searching for their loved ones.
"I cried so much at first, but then I realised I
should be handling the situation instead of
crying," said a relative.
The blasts came exactly 5 years and 2 days
after the 7/11 train blasts. With Mumbai
being targeted time and time again, anger
on the streets was clearly on the rise.
"Every second we are afraid something will
happen," said a Mumbaikar.
Another Mumbaikar said, "When Indians
come together and show these terror
outfits are strength, then they will that India
is India."
Though the emergency response system
seemed to have improved this time,
Mumbaikars are asking when the system
will be equipped enough to prevent such
terror attacks.

Leaders condemn Mumbai serial blasts

Leaders from all political parties
have condemned the serial blasts that
rocked congested areas of Mumbai
Wednesday evening, killing at least 20
people and injuring over 100.
The blasts took place in three areas of south
Mumbai - near Kabutarkhana in Dadar West,
Zaveri Bazar and Opera House, the jewellery
hubs of Mumbai - around 7 p.m.
Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan
condemned the near-simultaneous
explosions causing loss of life and injuries
to innocent citizens.
Sankaranarayanan, who was in Delhi,
rushed back to Mumbai on hearing the
news.
In a statement issued here, he said: "The
news of terrorists striking in the commercial
capital of India in the rush hour of the
evening today is shocking and shows the
desperate levels the terrorists have
stooped."
"I convey my sympathies to the families of
the victims of the blasts and wish speedy
recovery to the injured," he added.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of the
Nationalist Congress Party assured of
thorough investigation into the blasts and
appealed to Mumbaikars to not pay heed to
rumours and stay alert.
"Help will be extended to all victims in all
possible manner. However, it is still early to
tell the hand behind the blasts," he said.
Opposition leader Eknath Khadse of the
Bharatiya Janata party condemned the
attacks. "I sympathise with the relatives of
those killed and injured," he said.
State president of Samajwadi Pary Abu Azmi
said: "Police should be strict in investigating
the bomb blasts that have killed many and
injured more than 100 people," he said.
Azmi appealed to people not to make a
communal issue out of the blasts and help
each other and police in bringing the guilty
to books.
"The blasts should not be associated with
any specific religion or community. The
police should also not catch hold of those
who are not guilty for the crime," Azmi said.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said: "It is
unfortunate and disgusting. I strongly
condemn the blasts."
Former minister of state Gurudas Kamat also
condemned the attacks and said that the
guilty should be brought to book as soon as
possible.

Mumbaikars ignores blood, bombs; rushes in to help and heal

Panic and shock gripped the food
bazaars of South Mumbai and the busy
weekday market of Dadar as a series of
explosions rocked the crowded locations on
Wednesday evening. At Zaveri Bazar as well
as Opera House, it was the peak-hour rush
at the two khau gallis that became the
target. Dadar Market, on any day, is a sitting
duck.
From the scenes of crime to the halls of
healing , ordinary citizens sidestepped glass
shards and pools of blood to cart corpses,
injured persons and severed body parts to
hospital. Volunteers diverted traffic and gave
right of way to ambulances and fire engines
even as civic workers helped the police
gather evidence and remove debris.
The street lights went out in the alleys of
Zaveri Bazar and the rain dampened rescue
efforts. Sho cked shop owners pointed to
the remains of the scooter upon which the
explosive had been placed.“We saw an
umbrella wrapped in wires on the scooter.
The vehicle did not bear a number plate and
did not belong to any of the local
residents,”said eye-witness Vinod Divecha.
Added another volunteer, Snehal Shah, “This
area is abuzz with traders and workers who
park their scooters as they stop by for
food.”
All hands on deck as Mumbai goes into
emergency mode
Snehal Shah, a volunteer, lamented the
inaction on the part of the authorities
despite repeated complaints about illegal
parking in the Zaveri Bazar area.
Although the jamming of mobile phone
networks for two hours added to the panic,
Mumbai rose to the occasion magnificently,
going into emergency mode with all hands
on deck. Taxi drivers allowed bystanders to
pile in the dead and the injured and ferried
them to hospital free of charge. Medical
institutes threw open all their operating
theatres and casualty wards and recalled the
entire staff, including those who were off
duty.
A melee erupted outside the barred gates of
Harkisondas Hospital as distraught relatives
and doctors tried to fight their way through
crowds of anxious blood donors and
onlookers. Inside, the white tiles of the
casualty ward were marked with bloodied
footprints. The victims’ identities slowly
began to filter through. Twenty-one-year-old
Pankaj Soni, who worked with his father in
the family’s jewellery store at Lamington
Road, was in Zaveri Bazar for some work.
Onlookers say he had gone to khau galli to
eat when he was trapped in the blast. His
relative , Ramesh Soni, said that Pankaj was
declared dead at GT Hospital.
Suparna Adhikari was waiting at KEM
Hospital, Parel, for news of her father
Dhananjay Adhikari. She said, “He left our
home in Parel for Opera House at 3.30pm to
meet a friend.” When she heard about the
blast, she kept trying his phone but he didn’t
answer. Her brother then found out through
friends that their father was admitted to
KEM.
Dharavi resident Sanjay Jadhav had been
running from one hospital to another,
looking for his 55-yearold mother Bhima.
The woman, a fruit vendor, usually sat at the
site where Wednesday’s blast occurred. “I
went to the site but she wasn’t there. I have
come to KEM and her name is not in the list,”
Jadhav said.
There were others who survived by a stroke
of fate. Rajan Mandalik was close to the blast
site at Zaveri Bazar. He had walked a few
metres away from the spot to attend a
phone call seconds before the blast. His
friend Kishan Mandal (32), however , was
not as lucky. Mandal was missing till late at
night, by which time his friends had
checked out four hospitals. “His name is not
there on either the deceased or missing
persons lists,” said Mandalik. “He was sitting
on a bike and was dangerously close to the
blast spot. We are keeping our fingers
crossed.”
List Of Victims
GT Hospital
Sunil Raut, Shivraj Patil, Ravi Bora, Raju Yadav
Saifee
Sandeep Champaklal Shah, Ali Azgar
Batatawala, Tushar, Ramesh Chandra, One
unknown, Sanjay Mehta, Mohd Darodia
St Georges Hospital
Lalchand Ahuja
Harkisandas Hospital
Sunil Kumar Jain, Bhupat Nabadia, Mohan
Nair, 2 unknown
Bombay Hospital
Himmatbhai Kalubhai Gudiya