GAYA, July 13, 2013: Even as analysts struggle to decipher Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's somewhat loaded statement identifying 'local communal issues' as one of the three angles from which the NIA was probing Bodh Gaya serial blasts, the statement appears to have strengthened the JD (U) whispers propounding the political conspiracy theory of the blasts. The other two angles from which, according toShinde, the blasts are being probed are, 'international infiltration' and Maoism.

Read along with senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh's cyber offence via the controversial tweet, Shinde's statement becomes less vague.

Senior JD (U) leaders smell conspiracy in the blasts and what prevented them from going to town with their political conspiracy theories was the negative political fallout of such a public positioning. It was left to chief minister Nitish Kumar to drop subtle hints about the likely cause of the blasts.

It may be recalled that in his first media interaction after the blasts, the chief minister known for careful choice of words and phrases did not attribute the blast to terrorism. Kumar called it as an act of 'divisive forces' leaving no one in doubt that the chief minister, without directly saying so was referring to his former political allies as 'divisiveness' in the current political jargon is associated with a particular political brand.

By raising political slogans outside the Mahabodhi shrine within hours of the serial blasts at the world heritage site, the BJP leaders, particularly former minister Prem Kumar, fresh from a prolonged sulk only unwittingly lend credence to the view that the party was indulging in politicking on a vital issue concerning national security. The high decibel 'hai hai' and go back slogans did not go down well with even ardent BJP supporters who expected a more mature and responsible response from the party that claims to monopolise nationalism. In private discussions, intellectuals supporting the BJP disapprove Prem Kumar and company's somewhat crude political show.

Justifying the sloganeering, former urban development minister Prem Kumar said that it was a 'natural outburst' and not politicking.

Former Union minister and BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain called the visit of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as 'terror tourism' little realizing that when it comes to that 'saffron' tourists, they heavily outnumber other political pilgrims visiting Bodh Gaya.

On its part, the NIA right now concentrates on the 'local connection' of the saboteurs as the common factor in all the three prominently articulated theories is the local link without which the terrorists/ saboteurs could not have smuggled, planted and caused the explosions.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 13, 2013.