'Government has failed to fight terror'

With blasts rocking Malegaon taking a heavy human toll, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday said 'checks' should be placed on Pakistan.

"There is no meaning whether there are talks with Pakistan or not as long preparations are not made to place checks on Pakistan. There is a need for blunt-talking with Pakistan," he said while addressing a well-attended public meeting as part of Bharatiya Janata Party's national executive in Dehradun.

Vajpayee, who blew hot and cold over the ties with Pakistan, said at one point that 'talks should continue but the fight against terror needs to be intensified.'

The meeting addressed, among others by party chief Rajnath Singh and senior leader L K Advani, saw Singh suggesting Pakistan can take the help of the Indian army to destroy the terror camps on its soil, if it was unable to do so on its own.

Advani as also Vajpayee targeted the Congress-led coalition at the Centre over its 'failure' to tackle terrorism with a firm hand.

Vajpayee, during whose tenure as prime minister the peace process with Pakistan was initiated in 2004, accused the government of having 'lost direction' with regard to ties with Islamabad and the fight against terror. The former prime minister said he was 'not surprised' by incidents like in Malegaon, which, he insisted had become a 'routine' affair.

The former Prime Minister said India needed to talk bluntly with Pakistan in this regard.

"Terrorist activities are taking place frequently. But, this is unfortunate. The government has failed to fight terrorism," Vajpayee told the rally, kick-starting the party's campaign for the coming assembly polls in the state.

Calling for intensifying the war against terrorism, he said the government must strengthen its intelligence network. In this regard, the BJP leder pointed out that the conspiracy behind the recent Mumbai serial blasts had not been unearthed so far.

"The government is unable to use intelligence agencies properly," he said.

On the nuclear deal with the US, Vajpayee said things were still 'unclear' about the pact although Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made a detailed statement in Parliament. "All the things are not yet clear. What shape it (nuclear deal) will take in future, it is very difficult to predict," he said.

He warned the government to be cautious and vigilant on the nuclear deal. "While safeguarding our national interests, the government must launch efforts to bring respect for the country." On the foreign policy, he said it should be independent and be able to take the nation in the right direction.