“His comments are irresponsible, shameful, lacking in political grace and thoroughly condemnable. How can he equate Advani and the Rajasthan Chief Minister with terrorists?” asked BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad here on Saturday.

Ahmed had said that “those trying to take political advantage of the terror attacks in Jaipur should also be condemned just like terrorists”.

“Shakeel Ahmed ought to be sacked from the Cabinet for his irresponsible utterances. The Congress should apologise for its leader’s comments against Advani and BJP leaders,” said Prasad, adding “Advani’s charge that there has been no credible intelligence sharing has been echoed by National Security Advisor M K Narayanan”.

While the BJP went hammer and tongs at the Congress, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil asked everyone to “desist from making statements that can create misunderstandings between the agencies and governments”. “No statement which can create misunderstanding between the agencies and governments should be made by those who are involved in doing their duties. This is necessary to present a picture which is helpful for the task to be performed,” he said in a statement.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, however, once again slammed the UPA Government for “failing the nation”. “If the Government’s failure to contain price rise is threatening economic security of the ‘Aam Aadmi’, its failure to check terrorism is threatening national security,” Advani told reporters in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The UPA Government’s “dismal performance” in controlling price rise and growing terrorism would be the main issues in the next Lok Sabha elections, he said.

Advani presses for Dawood extradition

Hyderabad: There were “formidable cases” for Pakistan to extradite underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to India for trial, senior BJP leader L K Advani said on Saturday.

Welcoming Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s recent statement that his country would consider deporting Dawood if New Delhi provided “authentic proof”, the BJP leader said it was for the first time that Islamabad had officially admitted that the notorious gangster was taking shelter in their country. “The Interpol has declared Dawood an absconder and the United States termed him an international terrorist. Indian courts have also declared him an absconder. These are formidable cases for Pakistan Government to carry out its promise and hand him over to India for trial,” Advani said.