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Cherubic:We should not criticize either Police or Leaders at this point of time rather it is time to join hands and show a fist of iron like Russia had done 3-4 years ago. As far as the evaluation of leaders is concerned we all will be getting the opportunity to again choose a new order and it would be better on our parts to express our opinion there. It is also requested that Leaders must ensure that there should be responsible statements coming out from every corner of their community so that moral of those who are fighting with them (like Police, Commandos and other agencies) should not get shattered. In the End, JAI HIND

: I have said earlier I would preferred to have this discussion tomorrow instead of today...but then given the majority views expressed in this chat....I think it was okay not to have delayed the chat....thanks for your questions...Bye

ArunPrassad:Hi Diptosh, probably we should take lessons from Israel who are so good in tracking terrorist and taking them out without collateral damage.

: That's a good suggestion. I haven't given thought to it before but definitely if you remember what they did at Entebbe and the way the Mossad built the intelligence muscle of Israel, we need to take lessons from the small nation. But in trying to pursue a path followed by Israel, we must not overlook the fact that we are a much more complex nation of many religions, many ethnic groups.......we must not do anything that will add to the mutual suspicion....

Krishnan:Now let's assume that Patil quits. Do you think that the situ would change? What happens if there is a strike after somebody else takes over? Let me know this: Do you or your leaders have a better plan/solution to tackle the current situ? If so, can you lay it out? IT will help the people of India. Here and now!

: It's too late for this government to change anything

Rajesh_D_Patil:Dont u think better equiping the 40K strong police force of Mumbai or increasing the number mite have contained the problem in a more elaborate manner ?

: Agreed, the more people you get the more information you can collect......

Pradeep Soundararajan:Please consider this question because it might be important for the nation: We know we need better intelligence and we didn't need any intelligence to figure that out. After knowing we need intelligence and not doing anything that translate to results is the most dumbest thing that anyone can witness. Isn't it?

: That's what we should have done with an efficient home minister over the past five years. Build up a really good intelligence network with support from the states, invest as much as we need in that.

srikanthinjarapu:Do you think there should be revolution to over throw the government? ....

: Oh definitely no......Already the Naxalites are trying that in the Red Corridor.

shareen:Hi, why India is keeping quite when it know pak has training camp and what diplomacy pak needed

: I don't think diplomatically we can blame Pakistan especially when Pakistan is almost like a failed state. It has rogue elements in the country which are directing different kinds of operations. It is not advisable to take unilateral action till the time we have international backing. I think Indian NRIs should help build that kind of an international atmosphere whereby we get the necessary nod from the countries that matter. That should be their responsibility.

Viral Pala:Hi Diptosh,I think if now UPA will not birng the TADA or any other anit terorrisom low then this gov. will not come again,but at the same time we should become more united and MEDIA also undersnat theier responsibility,rather than showing Breaking news because terrrist may show our NSG's activitiy through news channel,and it is now media's responsibility to pull out the fear from people,Thanks

: Ok let me answer yours and Richa Bansal's question together. I agree with Richa that we must be careful about laws which can give power to the law enforcing authorities to go about their business in a way that will harm the relationship between communities.

Venkata Pendyala:Mr Patil quitting really does not make a difference. We must question our adopted form of selection of citizens that govern this country. For starters we must change the definition of national party to only accomodate idealogies who receive more than 5% of electoral affirmations in atleast 20 states at the centre. This way the most talented people can be incentivised to join a national party. We cant afford to have coalitions running the country at the centre anymore.Our Governance system must be modernized as the world has changed significantly in the last decade. Your thoughts on this.

: India is too vast a country. We can't have simple solutions enforced from above. We need these solutions to evolve on their own politically. We cannot in any way harm our democracy. That's our core strength. That keeps us morally, diplomatically, politically ahead of China.

venkateswar:What about people like Kiran Bedi heading an autonomous body to tackle terror.

: Why not? Any efficient serving policeman chosen carefully from the talent we have in the IPS pool throughout the country would be even better?

Dilip Hazarika:My question to Shivraj Patil: What are the efforts taken after each of the major blasts - Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Guwahati and Mumbai, and what are the key learnings for the nation? As for the serial blasts in Guwahati last month, the state govt, along with the Centre has done enough just to comment and close a chapter saying "the blasts were carried out by ULFA & NDFB." This is because, ULFA and NDFB are the two major forces, that has been there since long time, thereby there is nothing new (as the govt. would like to present to the world). As a nation, we have not learnt with the adversities. We have failed to respond to such situations in a proper way. We are just so forgetful that we forget our own pain the next day. Shivraj Patil can very well forget the pains of all those affected and sleep over it.

: I can answer on Mr Patil's behalf. Wait for the next blast.

Jayabharathwaj:Hi Diptosh, despite the best of intelligence sometimes terrorists still manage to strike. Instead of blaming Shivraj Patil, I would like to know from you 5 questions that you would put to Shivraj Patil (UPA) to check if the UPA govt is sincere in attempts to fight terror.

: I'll just ask him one question. When was the last time you really hauled up your senior home ministry and intelligence officials for failing to act on terror? What have you really done to improve the system?

Debapi Basu from Sultanate of Oman :My professional stints as a HR person have given me the exposure to see the wider angle of terrorism be it in the farthest corner of Orissa or in Assam .What I can recall is the home minister has to be with exceptional common sense and maturity if you look for a long term solution or a pinch hitter like K.P.S Gill if you just want to add water on fire .Ideally we should go for a short term solution approach for a very short term and then go for a long term perspective.Shivraj patil in no way fits the bill .If he doent know how to utilize his best of the officers ,there will be difference in deliverables .

: Interesting perspective.

Nithin:I believe Shivaraj Patel to should resign as Home Minister of the country. How many times can you keep saying " I regret what has happened" . This incident in Mumbai is a sheer failure of Intelligence & also security in the country. Hence Shivaraj Patel should take moral responsibility for this & resign from his post.

: That's what the topic of this chat is...your views are appreciated.

Hirdesh singh:Ms Gandhi should take the responsibilty of this attack and other attacks because Mr.Patil was her choice as she did not want to give the home ministry to Mr.Pranab Mukherji and Mr.Arjun Singh. Don't you think the real culprit is Ms. Gandhi.

: I think to some extent I'll agree with you.....you have to give the home ministry to a capable person....not someone who's loyal to you.

Akshay Mhalgi:Is India impotent?? Is there no will to stop these crimes??Are our ministers just statues only to speak at poll rallies??

: I agree the man whom we are asking to vacate is his office is a Cold War relic, a wonderfully dressed statue.

Poornesh Sagala:Hi Diptosh one thing I'm not able to understand. When terrorists attacked twin towers in US With out next thought US went on and demolished entire Afghanistan but why is India so soft on terrorism? Is it we are soft or incapable I am not sure?

: When you are the foremost superpower, you can take steps which the world will criticize but won't have the courage to challenge....we need to be revered a lot more by the international community before we can contemplate unilateral action.

suveer:Why cant they form two special teams which can spoil all the terrorist activities and also from which they can strengthen the security. only for rescue operations they use the commandos but why cant they use these peoples to stop the terrorism in the country?

: But what will they act upon........you need specific info to act on...last night's terror attack happened the way it did because of a huge intelligence failure.....

Jai:hi Diptosh,I think that not only the Home Minister but the Whole Sonia Gandhi Team should step down owing to moral responsibility for the death of innocent citizens.They do not have the right to continue in the center.The Government has devastated this country completely and it heading towards worse days ahead.If they can not have the guts to fight Terrorism they should not stay in the center.The Honorable Prime Minister in one of his speech had said as if he was tolerating Terrorism till now,is thi swhat he wants to tell the nation?

: Come on, there's only five to six months to go before the polls.....if they have to go out let them be politically rejected by voters.

sanu:Terrorist attack has now became a part and parcel of indian culture.. anyone can plant a bomb and unleash terror when they want. Where is this country going. Where is RAW are they sleeping??? Its high time that we take action against those responsible, even if they are sitting across the boarder

: Intelligence gathering is the need of the hour. We need specific inputs.......not yeh bhi ho sakta, woh bhi ho sakta kind of non-specific inputs which usually come to our IB officials.

roy:Hi Diptosh, amidst this operation still going on, no condemn is enough. Also we should not "show the spirit of life of putting things behind and move forward". This attitude of "showing spirit" is detrimental for our country. This time lets not move forward, forgetting things that has happened but to take "stern action" against all these elements. Wes houldn't blame politicians because we only elected them. But seeing the state of affairs where allegdly a ship comes, drops the terrorost near the coast and goes back - all this escapes our army / navy's eyes? We should look into our defence meachnism and be pre-emptive to retaliate back. But for once lets show the spirit of not moving forward till some definitive actions are taken

: More than a question, it's your comment on the situation. I appreciate your views. But an army marches on the orders of its political commanders in a democracy and more so in the 21st century. So, please don't let the politicians off the hook.

Jasvinder:What actions are been initiated this year by home minstry to counter terrorist strikes, and how will Mr.Patil justify his presnes with so many attackes inside India

: Very vague measures have been taken up this year. Mr Shivraj Patil is getting away for a long time by insisting that law and order is a state subject. But it can't be so, he has to interfere...terror requires Central involvement in a big way...it can't be left to the meagre resources of the state. That's why I'd blame Patil more than Vilasrao Deshmukh.

dilip:Do you think anyother govt or anyother person in place of Shivraj Patil would have averted such catestrophy?

: I think so....government I wouldn't say....but the need for a replacement for Patil is something which anybody with the slightest interest in politics or administration will agree to.

Yan Murry:P.M Manmohan Singh has said Today that a Tough Law will be enacted to deal with Terrorist Attacks. Will a 'Tough Law' really be able to prevent Terrorist Attacks? How effective will it be?

: I am not a great believer in tough laws. Laws seldom toughen or bring out the toughness of a nation. Laws are good. It's the political and popular will which matter much more.

sumit vyas:As u 've mentioned we require citizen card but why not there is a requirement to stop infiltration from bangaladesh and also other parts of our country.As corruption prevails vastly in this country do it is possible to record everything in terms of cards or identification certificate.

: Absolutely, this Bangladeshi menace must stop immediately. It has been going on for too long. The West Bengal government and the BSF guarding the porous Indo-Bangla border needs to be told to come down heavily on infiltration.

Venkatraman Prabhu:Hi, Diptosh, dont you think that in a large country like ours, it is extremely difficult to combat terrorism? In a crowded city like Mumbai, where millions of people walk freely on the roads, how is it possible that stringent government policies can help us spot terrorists? What we can improve is the investigations after the attack and give strict punishment to those involved, but the question is that are terrorists afraid to die? definitely not. They are only here to destroy India, nothing else.

: Agreed, it's very difficult....But then what do you suggest, we won't make an effort to combat them at all. How do you do that. We must fight terror with every resource at our disposal.

chandrasekhar:hi Diptosh , all this years, we have been protecting jammu &kashmir , now the time has come we have to take pakistan , this is the way we can destroy terrorist ,what do u tell about an indian opnion ? k chandrasekhar

: I think internationally, our financial muscle has already reduced Pakistan to a different league. We are no longer clubbed with Pakistan. We are a bigger power. Diplomacy is always a better tool and weapon than warfare in the 21st century.

vanisri:I hope in the next general elections we see political parties naming probable persons for important portfolios like home, finance, external affairs. Atleast we don't have to vote only seeing one person who may not be running the govt. after all. Only clean image is not sufficient we need people with guts.

: Interesting suggestion. Yes, we should get to know whom we are voting for. I don't think it will happen next elections but it's probably going to happen, who knows, thirty years from now. All portfolios should be distributed before the polls.

hiten patwa:Hiten Patwa:Hello Mr.Majumdar I think we should have our home minister like Sardar Patel.Home Minister like Patil who is not able to give confidence to the nation for the security of people should be given CRS from indian politics.

: Now you can not bring back great leaders from the world of the dead.

sv:do you think unless the criminal gangs in mumbai are decimated , mumbai will be always under terrorist threat

: To some extent...but I think modern terror requires even greater funding and support, terror has bigger than what it was in 1993

pankaj:shiv raj patil might not be a bad person, but our country just not need a good person to sit on a seat like homeminister, we need a person who can take hard decisions, specially this time when we have terrorists in many parts of our country.

: Nobody's calling him a bad man. We are talking about efficiency here. Okay everybody, this is last question I can take on a busy day. It was my privilege to be able to answer all these questions. Hope I have been able to answer most. Being a journalist requires a bipartisan approach and it's my responsibility to withhold my personal anger. Please forgive me if I had hurt anybody sentiments but what's still happening in Mumbai is simply unforgiveable. We shall remember 26/11 for a long time to come.

selvaraj:Hi Diptosh, do you think that we should do war with pakistan? Because, every day ,militants killing innocent people. I belong to gujarat. I saw the blasts that had taken place at ahmedabad.where lot of innocent people will killed. Shivraj Patil should quit the office. We should have leader like indira gandhi,who can take decision.

: War with Pakistan is not the solution. Pakistan is in a mess. There are sections of the government establishment in Pakistan which are a rogue force and act on t heir own. You can resolve these problems with a war.

Saiprassanna Raghavachary:Saiprassanna: Hi Diptosh,Why is Mumbai always Targetted,and what is Mumbai Police and the intelligence doing with this regard? In VT station although tight and vigil security how could they attack?

: I have already explained why this particular attack is different...it's not meant to kill Indians...it's to destroy all that Mumbai stands for; it's to cripple Mumbai once and for all.

sumeet joshi:Mr. Patil has only time to change his clothes at times of crisis. Ms. Gandhi who quit P.M's post and then Office of Profit in the name of inner soul and morality seems to have forgotten to teach the same in her party. Why is it so that in Congress, loyality to the Gandhis supercedes anything and everything?

: Your question says everything. I have nothing to add.

Vivek Singh:When is he going to stop speaking like a robot? Is he and his government care about people of Indian then they should take responsibility of this crisis.

: He'll never.

pawan:this may be the turning point in assembly polls and loksabha polls..what do u think ?

: Agreed, I have already said that a little while ago.

somu:This Incident at Mumbai may become an issue of a debate show in next one week. but what about the future ... how can we help our country in fighting this menace

: Intelligence, intelligence and more intelligence....this is a vast country, looking for terrorists is like looking for a needle in a haystack....so we must have citizenship cards...a far greater force and monitoring of individuals especially anybody we have reason to suspect.....

Sumon:hi diptosh, dont you think the job of a Home Minister of India by defination is a very difficult one? Is Shivraj Patil entirely too blame, would an AK Antony or a Pranab Mukherjee be a better Home Minister than him? I dont think so. What is your opinion.

: I think I disagree with you. I think we could try out a lot many younger ministers....they wouldn't have fumbled like Patil does....

sridharm:Hi diptosh, its unfair to blame everything on Hon Mr.Shivraj Patil. He is infact doing everything he can, but is hampered by limited understanding of his own self and country in particular. I dont think any govt can give full time security to this country, even during the previous regimes in this country terrorists have stuck with impunity. But post that attack the action and reaction was swift. But in this govt, forget action the reactions are baffling. your views?

: Sridharm Sir, How do you expect me to sympathise with a home minister who you say "is hampered by limited understanding of his own self and country in particular."

sumati :Everytime BJP points at the growth in terror strikes, the Congress reminds the BJP of the two major terror strikes, the shoot out at the Akshardham temple and the hijacking of IC 814. Would Advani, known as the 'hawk' for reasons good and bad, have tackled the current situation in a better way than the 'soft' Mr Patil?

: I think he would have been better. At least, even if he wouldn't have stopped the terror strikes, he would have been on the ground directing operations, trying something new out..trying to plug loopholes in intelligence.....

tanmay:Hi Diptosh, first of all thanks for arranging such a debate .. now the question is why this blast and attack again and again ?? dont you think we the indians and specially the urbane are too much centralised for money and all other earthly pleasures, dont you think we need to think beyond ourselves .. any party maybe it congress or the safron brigade has failed to instill in us the confidence and self belief to love india and to protect ourselves ??? also why is it that the whole industr is so politicised .. why cant we punish the terrorist we caught before very ruthlessly ........ also why a sandhvi has to be ill treated so badly for a case yet to be proved against her when the sheikhs / anwars / mohammads of the nation walk freely .....why why why ???

: This blast is different...this attack on mumbai is specifically aimed at bringing down our global status.....

SF:Mr. Minister, what is the definition of "moral responsibility" ? Please explain.

: Moral responsibility is what Mr Patil is not accepting at this point of time, even as we speak. That's the way I would like to define moral responsibility now.

pra:Hi, Tell me why should not Congress govt. (Both Central and State Govt.) dragged to the court of law for the killing of innocent people in Mumbai.

: I think it's better to make them face them the electorate. The people's court is the biggest court in a democracy.

Amit Baitharu:What should be the govt. next step???

: At least solve this case and identify the nationality, detailed background of the terrorists straightaway....there are so many things that we don't know about this well coordinated terror attack.

Sai_Indian:Hi , Mr.Shivraj Patel should step out of cabinet and also from parliament taking sole responsibility for many grave incidents in congress regime. His past records shows his inefficieny to curb terrorist attacks.Not only him, the entire parliament should be dissolved.This Government is one of the most inefficient sofar independent india has seen.Failure to control Inflation,Terrorism,rise in day-to-day prices. People should feel they are secure in our country. None of indian civilians can say or even feel they are safe.Foreign tourist will not come to india atleast for a year whihc will definitely affect our economy.Currently USD/INR = 50.due to situation like these, might go to even 60 or 70 by end of this fin year.

: Yes that foreign tourism part of your comment is crucial. This particular terror attack is aimed at destabilising Indian economy and India's status as a global power. It seems there are elements, possibly in our neighbouring country, who cannot understand why we are growing closer to important world powers especially the US.

Kumar Nilay:our policians are busy over malegoan issue nad sadhvi praghya they dont have time to into national security issue

: Malegaon, sir, has also experienced terror and we can't omit it from our discussion. Let's not play up one terror and play down another. Terror is terror.

Pushkark21:Prior to Shivraj Patil don't you feel that Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh also needs to quite his chair. He also has little for mumbai - Pushkar

: His role is long being carefully monitored by the Congress High Command. Deshmukh like Patil has also been a major failure.. Two major terror attacks on the commercial capital during his tenure and he has still managed to retain his job. Both he and his home minister R.R. Patil seem to more adept in dealing with bar girls.

Kaushik:Hi Diptosh,do you think this is the end of UPA and Mr Shivraj Patil in particular?Blasts across India-Mumbai,Assam,Malegaon,Bangalore,Hyderabad,Delhi during the UPA regime.Soft on terrorism.

: It's an important question. I think TERROR WILL NOW BECOME A KEY ELECTION ISSUE ACROSS INDIA ----- ESPECIALLY URBAN INDIA..........obviously NDA will gain from it...I think today's election in Madhya Pradesh and day after tomorrow's election in Delhi will be influence by what the people are seeing on television channels.

mayank:Why cannot Shivraj Patil / Jaiswal be at the site and conveying the right message to the country through the media, rather than be in New Delhi? I do not agree that they will divert attention and resources - its their job to be at the site and take poicy decisions and inform the country.

: Agree with you....at least let them make a show that they are trying......doing some firefighting......

Paul George:How about replacing shivraj patil with K. P. S. Gill? He made Punjab terror free, why not give him a chance to make the whole of India terror free.

: K.P.S. Gill knew Punjab well. okay he can be made the head of the anti-terror agency which should be constituted straightaway...though I think there are even better police officers who can also lead such an organization.

Bhaskar Vijay Shankar:Diptosh, where does Congress and UPA go from here ? It's been proven time and again that we have Spineless people in our polity ? So many innocent people are fighting for their lives everyday, for on never knows if the person next to you is a terrorist or not ! Which of the two major coalition, according to you, have been more effective with countering terrorism. Within the present choices (from all parties) whom do you think is best suited to handle the Home Ministry ?

: The Congress is a centrist please-all party and as a result in trying to maintain balance it has become more than disbalanced......Neither coalition have done well when it concerns terror and I have three names for effective home minister, Arun Jaitley, Pranab Mukherjee, P.Chidambaram.

viv:No new legislation, no improvement in enforcement, old methods, old thinking, increased exposure to threats, more acts of terrorism resulting in mass distress - despite all this a low key, lacklusture response from the ministry - if this is how Patil's tenure can be described, give me a reason why should one not ask for his resignation? Right when one expects him to respond strongly, this guy just fades away - he is not reassuring, does not appear to be in control, has nothing worthwhile to claim as achievements during his tenure! No, he is not my candidate for a Home Minister. Not by a mile!

: Your views are pretty much everybody's views now. I commend you for the strong words you have used.

sounder:Hi Diptosh,do you think the POTA like acts should imposed or not??

: I have never believed laws are a solution....stringent punishment are indeed a deterrent but come along those who have entered the hotels in Mumbai are all part of a suicide squad.....we need to deal with them with prior information on them, we need to penetrate their networks...if they are Pakistan-aided we need to take them on with our full NSG or military strength.

Manickam:From you view, Whom you want to blame on this?

: This morning when we decided to do a web chat, we had thought the hostage crisis would be over by 4 pm but now that it's continuing I personally feel it would have been easier for me to make people responsible if we did the chat tomorrow. Now we should be focussed o nthe operation...these are moments when we need national unity, not political divisions. Even L.K.Advani harped on that unity earlier in the day. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has just spoken about it. But one feels so angry when these blasts take place that we feel the urge to vent our anger on somebody.

Anand Koushik:Hi Mr.Diptosh, Shivraj Patil vacating his office is not the solution but it would be better if the decision of operations be made by experienced field officers rather than asking the "empty brain" politicians???

: In a democracy the politician has to double up as an administrator. Experienced field officers are answerable to their political bosses. That is how we have pledged to work things out in the Indian Constitution. Field officers can't lead by themselves. They have to take orders.

PraveenKumar:What should the politicians do for clearing their image for this problem. and Mr.Shivraj Patil, he needs to clarify the public on the mess created

: Imagebuilding is a twenty first century game which all politicians play. Shivraj Patil is a disaster in that respect. He can never give you the impression even when he is talking to ordinary people that he can really get a job done.

pra:Where is the dair devil Mr. Raj Thakeray

: He is still looking for north Indians probably....he can terrorise the defenceless....real terrorists are not bothered about him.

mallesh:Hi Diptosh, Could you write something on this Congress lead UFA Govt. and educate people to elect NDA in the coming election.

: Hah, sir....you are asking me to take sides....My profession is that of a journalist. I am sure your's is not.

Parijat:That Mr Patil is the most ineffectual home minister is an established fact. Don't you think that the malady is much deeper than having a sissy for a hm?

: The malady is the way we play politics in this country...why should we be choosing people just for the sake of accommodating favourites and people who have been loyal to us? Let a government be brave enough to show the door to the people who are not performing.

amit29:Hi Diptosh, We should blame our politician, but we as Indian citizens, what have we done, from our side.Should n't we be a part of the responsibility. What will be your advice for commoners. Also, our Sportsperson, Actors who we always see them as role models, should not they play any part, amidst all these attacks.Should they remain a mere spectator ?

: What will Bollywood do to control terror? The police have the power, the IB has the wherewithal....they have to act under the leadership of the home minister. We have our responsibility that we don't lose our calm...terror always leads to friction and suspicion between communities....our job is not to give in to temptations to take the law into our own hands....the rest of it has to be done by the home minister....do you expect him to share his intelligence details with you?

Aarti:It is clear that Shivraj Patil and the PM dont talk to each other, given their divergent views on Naxalism. If there is no communication and everyone in the cabinet acts in silos, the people are the losers and terrorist will gain strength... I can actually hear some of them laughing at us!

: They do....there are so many unsolved terror cases....Patil is not the right man for such a high pressure job......

Subhash K:What is the plan for going forward... can Shivraj patil and his government come out of political game for personal and organizational gains?

: It's too late for Shivraj Patil to do anything. Let's simply forget him. UPA government cannot replace him now towards the end of the five year term because that would mean admitting that Patil was a hopeless home minister.

SK:Two quick questions... Who has to take the moral responsibility....Dont you think the current situation in India is mainly because of Ruling Govt's minority appeasement...and being soft on terrror? Are these politicians busy changing clothes and sleeping in AC rooms??? It took more than half a day for these headless chickens to appear in the commercial capital of this country???????

: I won't link minority appeasement and terror straightaway....politics is not as simple as that....but I agree that the government's policy on minorities is defective.....we have to bring Muslims to mainstream Indian life......ensure they get better jobs.....ensure they far more secular education than the education in madarsas....but I don't believe any community should take the blame for these attacks..............Hemant Karkare, the ATS chief, who went down bravely last night had shown us in the past two months that majority fringe groups can be dangerous as well.

SARAVANAN:Hi Diptosh Majumdar, If you were an Home minister, what would be the action you would have taken ?

: Good question. I would have set up an immediate Central Bureau of Combating terrorism. I would have hired some of the best brains. I would have hired better equipped intelligence gathering people to infiltrate fundamentalist groups. I would have ensure greater cooperation among the state governments. I would personally monitored all these operations myself not leave it to bureaucrats. I would have hauled up any official not doing his job properly, not getting specific advanced info. I would have improved coastline security not just control infiltration across land borders.

Yella Reddy:Hi Diptosh, why we are all only concerning the politicians? are we responsible for these incedents, if then what we need to take to give up a good message to the country to do not allow people to not to participate in these kind of attacks or give a loud sound on it.

: I think it's time to be tough...messages won't work any longer.

suveer:Hi Diptosh, he should resign immediately.see how much this terror attacks affects our country in all the ways....many foreigner are died and also many other civilians and also the three chiefs in various groups. i.e. ATS Chief, ACP and the Encounter Specialist. cricket matches are cancelled and also it will affect the tourism department also now onwards nobody will come to india. now terrorists are ruling the india not the government. coz one after the other terror attacks. if we switch on the tv always there will be a flash news saying terror attak in mumbai,bangalore, ahmedabad,jaipur etc He should resign immedistely and/or he should improve the security in atleast all the state capitals and other inm cities. What do you say Diptosh?

: This terror attack is different in meaning and dimension. The idea is to show the world that India may be an economic powerhouse but is a very unsafe investment destination. Since we have not been destroyed by the global economic meltdown, organized terror is trying to cripple our economic Capital.

r.ganeshan:Indian history and future generations will never forgive this gentleman for his incompetance towards terrorism and shameless pressmeets

: That's your remark. Yes, I too think Patil will not be judged favourably by history.

nikes23:Mr patil has been the epitome of ineptness?? I guess in india, loyalty to the leader always reaps divedends.. Do you feel having a more comptent person in the home ministry will help reduce these attacks??

: I have answered the last part of your question already. I think in the Indian National Congress, loyalty is a very important factor.

SARAVANAN:Hi Diptosh Majumdar, What is meant by condemn? bec all politicians are giving same statement. What is the use of these statement.

: Condemnation lost its meaning long time ago. Who cares if a politician condemns or not. We need to act not utter meaningless, hollow words.

iyappan:Hi, I think it is better the military forces take care of the country for atleast next 5 years. No political parties must be in power till things are set alright. What do you say?

: Let's remain a democracy. If the military takes over you and I won't be freely talking to each other and expressing our views as we are doing just now.

skg:Diptosh, How does it matter if Patil quits or not? Even if someone else becomes home minister, UPA policies regarding handling of terrorism won't change ... So it may be needless to focus on his resignation...rather we should how to put pressure on government to change its policies..

: To some extent, I agree with you. But I think a Chidambaram or a Pranab Mukherjee or even somebody else wouldn't have looked so helpless everytime a blast happened. They would have at least made an effort to do things different and not come up with the same excuses.

Kaushik:Hi Diptosh,was the past NDA govt better than the present UPA govt in handling terrorism?Why did the UPA govt revoked the POTA?Why is Afzal Guru still free?Why should innocent civilians loose their lives like this?Shouldn't Mr Patil resign on moral grounds?How can a person be so power hungry and thirsty?

: Well, I won't say the previous government was more effective. Kandahar was a sell-out. It showed extreme weakness and sharp differences in a government unable to decide whether it should be tough on terror or take the more populist way out. But what I'll definitely agree is that the previous government did create the impression that it had the confidence to deal with terror. POTA is a law. A law does not necessarily improve policing. I am personally against the death sentence but if Guru has no reprieve, theres' no reason why the country's law shouldn't take it's own course? Well as for your last question, it's for a minister to decide when to call it quits.

bhasker:Hi Diptosh,Till now i am not sure, how became he was the home minister for Inida even though he was not elected by people.one more sad thing about him is when ever the terror activity occurs, he will come out and give the same statment saying that we will take the seviour action.Not only complete UPA govt should quit.What do you say

: Well electors will decide in a short while whether the UPA government should return to power or not. But Shivraj Patil has been a very ineffective minister. He is not a 21st century, post 9/11 person. I agree it's not possible to police a vast country like India. But at least he should create a perception that he's trying. Immaculate dressing shouldn't make anybody eligible for the home minister's job.

avina:Do you think we need an Indira Gandhi or a Narendra Modi to handle the home ministry?

: Indira Gandhi was good and effective in her time. Narendra Modi gives you the sense of a man in control. But a really effective home minister is one who is tough and at the same time universally acceptable. For every problem, we need not fall back on Modi or the late Indira Gandhi.....

Ram Krishna Pattnayak:Is it time for India to enact stringent laws to deal with terror

: I am not very sure if laws alone will help. What we need is a really effective intelligence gathering machinery, better intelligence infiltration among target groups and far far greater degree of coordination among states. Mr Patil has been very ineffectively saying that he'll set up a mechanism to deal with terror for a long time but in reality has been doing nothing.

Dominic Daly:Hi Mr. Patil, Dont you think India should take steps to increase secuity in metros? I live in chennai and when I walk into malls or cinema halls, hotels or public places I hardly see guards checking people, Incase a terrorist is planning an attack I feel that he can easily target public places, what action are you going to take? Will guards be trained? Will cities be equipped with GPS, Helicopters, Armed guards at all points to avert such terrorist acts in the near Future? .

: Hi, I am not Mr Patil, don't want to be Mr Patil. I am only a journalist doing a webchat. Yes, definitely we are all crying out for days now that security needs to be stepped up. But more importantly, we need to have more information, better intelligence...that is where we are lagging seriously behind at this point of time.......So Mr Patil's big failure at this point of time is that he keeps passing the buck...he says it's the responsibility of the states which I think under changed circumstances is a not a valid argument....

Ashish:Hi Diptosh, Don't you think that Patil is such a shameless person that he will never quit on his own......He will only quit when Madam asks which is very unlikely.

: Ashish, your political understanding is spot on...of course....shameless is your word not mine. I hope you understand that political discretion is something which I cannot give up. At the end of the day, I am a journalist. I report.

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