Blasts result of govt's soft attitude on terrorism: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP on Friday held the government's 'soft attitude' towards terrorism squarely responsible for the spurt in terrorist attacks and decided to raise the Uttar Pradesh serial blasts issue in Parliament on Monday.

"Terrorists are striking at will. They are getting bolder and it is a challenge to the rule of law," party chief Rajnath Singh said while noting that the increase in terror attacks was a matter of serious concern.

He said the serial blasts in Varanasi, Lucknow and Faizabad this afternoon, which claimed at least 14 lives, was the result of the Congress-led government's 'soft approach' towards terrorism.

The 'dastardly attack on civilian targets' was 'condemnable,' he added.

Singh and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi will visit the blast sites on Saturday.

Pointing out that the attacks showed 'lapse in security,' senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said 'the security situation in the country is deteriorating day by day because of the government's soft peddling on terrorism.'

Terrorist attacks happened during the previous NDA government's time also but were essentially 'retaliatory in nature' because the AB Vajpayee government was coming down heavily on them, she added.

Swaraj claimed that the serial blasts in UP were the result of 'gross failure' of intelligence agencies and alleged that the UPA government was not able to arrest not even a single terrorist despite attacks at several places.

"Diwali pe delhi, holi pe banaras, yehi ho raha hai desh main (In Delhi during Diwali, at Banaras during Holi, this is what is happening in the country)," she said, adding the issue would be raised in Parliament on Monday.

BJP's ally JD(U) said the terror attacks took place because the central government is 'weak'.

"The NDA government enacted a law to fight terror. But the UPA government scrapped it. This government does not have the will to fight terrorism," JD(U) leader Hari Kishore Singh said.