Chennai bomb blast: J Jayalalithaa slams Karuna

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today rejected accusation that her government refused Centre's offer for NIA investigation into yesterday's bomb blast on board a Guwhati-bound train, terming it as "far from truth".

A middle-level officer from the Union Home Department contacted the state's Home Secretary and offered to send bomb detection and disposal equipment and squad, she said and added that "the Home Secretary replied that assistance would be sought if needed".

In a statement released here, she slammed DMK Chief M Karunanidhi's charges that AIADMK government failed to maintain law and order and described his arch rival as "armchair critic".

Jayalalithaa pointed out the arrest of some terror suspects by the state police in recent times, including Sri Lankan Zakir Hussain, a suspected ISI agent and terror suspects 'Police' Fakruddin, Panna Ismail and Bilal Malik.

Karunanidhi whose government failed to prevent major terror strikes such as 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts that killed 60 people and bomb explosion in trains occurred in 1997 had no moral right to criticise her government over the yesterday twin explosions, she said.

"I wish to say that NSG members experienced in bomb blast cases have come to examine the blast site," she said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion that rocked the Bangalore-Guwhati Express in which a young techie was killed and 14 others injured, she said.