Mumbai blasts: Politicians react

Expressing “deep shock at the scale of the attacks targeting innocent people and causing numerous fatalities and casualties”,Ansari said such acts were aimed at destabilising the nation and urged all citizens “to unite in this critical hour”,a statement from the Vice President’s Secretariat said.

Keep me posted,PM tells Chavan

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and directed him to keep the PMO posted on the developments. Singh also spoke with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and asked him to do “everything needful in the matter”.

Advani calls up Chidambaram

Senior BJP leader L K Advani called up Chidambaram to seek an update on the developments. The BJP strongly condemned the attacks and asked the government to take a determined stand to deal with terrorism.

“We strongly condemn the dastardly attack. This is a deliberate attack on Mumbai which has been targeted by anti-Indian forces,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

He said these attacks proved that the “war against India through terrorism still continues”. “We need to investigate if there are any links to Pakistan,” he added. “We need to send a strong signal against terror. We need to take terror head on.”

Can’t rely on govt for protection: Sena

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said “people should not rely on the government and protect themselves. “Mumbai has been attacked once more. The only weapon we seem to have is issuing high alerts. People are paying the price of having an inefficient government,” Thackeray said. “Terrorist Kasab is enjoying in jail here,” he added.

Need to fight terror,says Javed Akhtar

Condemning the attacks,lyricist Javed Akhtar said,“No words are strong enough to condemn these attacks… This menace called terrorism…. something has to be done. Something drastic. This is not acceptable,” he said.

Terrorists want to prove govt can’t contain them: Modi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said terrorists carried out the blasts “to prove the present Union government is not capable” of containing them and “they have the strength to destroy the country”. The Gujarat Chief Minister said he feared the blasts could be a rehearsal for bigger strikes in near future. “It is time for the nation to get together and have a firm resolve to fight terror,” he said.

‘Can’t accept such mindless violence’

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan,who was in New Delhi,rushed back to Mumbai on hearing news of the blasts. “The news of terrorists striking in the commercial capital of India during rush hour is shocking…and shows the desperate levels terrorists have stooped to,” he said in a statement.

He added,“We can’t accept such mindless violence. We have to go all out in our war against terrorism.Justice can be done only when terrorists and their sponsors are brought to book in the shortest possible time.”

Zardari,Gilani condemn attacks

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attacks in Mumbai. “President Asif Ali Zardari,Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani,the government and the people of Pakistan condemn the blasts in Mumbai,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said in a statement.

“The President and the Prime Minister have expressed deepest sympathies to the Indian leadership on the loss of lives,injuries and damage to property in Mumbai,” the statement added.