By IANS,
New Delhi : A crucial cabinet meeting convened Thursday evening in the wake of the attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra, took a stormy turn with allies of the government asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to act with more decisiveness on MNS chief Raj Thackeray. The latest terror blasts in Assam also were discussed.
According to a source, a key cabinet minister demanded that Raj Thackerary be booked under the National Security Act.
The allies said that in the light of the upcoming elections to legislative assemblies in six states, including Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would politicise the situation.
The prime minister has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh asking for stern measures to curb the growing attacks on non-Maharashtrians, mostly from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The allies were also critical of the government not coming up with a clear response on how to handle the terror strikes in Indian cities in the last few months.
The meeting began at 8.30 p.m. after the prime minister returned from Nanded, where he had gone to attend a Sikh religious congregation.
“The situation is critical as assembly elections kick off next month, and the scenario is not conducive,” said a senior minister.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil was the target of criticism of several of the allies, the source said.
In Assam, 12 serial blasts THursday morning left at least 61 dead and over 300 injured.