Rameshwaram cafe blast: "Incident could have been averted," says Pralhad Joshi, seeks NIA probe

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 2 : Union Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the massive explosion that took place at the popular Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru and sought an NIA investigation into the incident that left as many as 10 people injured on Friday.
Taking a dig at the Siddaramaiah-led government in the state, Joshi said that if the state government had taken the Vidhana Soudha pro-Pakistan sloganeering incident seriously earlier, then the blast incident would have been averted.
Speaking to ANI deom the blast site, Joshi on Friday evening said, "If the Congress government in the state would have taken the Vidhana Soudha pro-Pakistan sloganeering incident seriously then this incident might not have taken place."
"The way the state government reacted to that incident in the Vidhana Soudha was "silly," and a very "casual reaction" was given to the whole incident. When there is more appeasement politics, then there is an increase in radicalisation, which then converts into terrorism," asserted Joshi.
"We strongly condemn this blast, the NIA should investigate this, and the state government should recommend this. The people who are radicalists are encouraged and supported by the Congress, which is why these incidents are happening," added the Union Minister.
Joshi further said that the Congress is trying to do vote bank politics, which is not right, and that the people of the state will not tolerate it.
Meanwhile, a team of the National Investigation Agency visited the explosion site in the Whitefield area.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and State Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, along with DGP Alok Mohan, also visited the Bengaluru explosion site for inspection.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Friday that the Rameshwaram cafe blast is being investigated from all angles, adding that 7-8 teams have been formed to probe the incident.
Shivakumar also stated that a youth came and kept a small bag, which exploded after an hour. He has also asked the people of Bengaluru not to worry.
"It was a low-intensity blast. A youth came and kept a small bag, which exploded after an hour. About 10 people received injuries. 7-8 teams have been formed to probe the incident. We are looking from all angles. I ask every Bangalorean not to worry," he said.
A security guard working at the Rameshwaram Cafe who was present at the time of the incident said, "I was standing outside the cafe. Many customers had come to the hotel. Suddenly, there was a loud sound, and a fire broke out, causing injuries to the customers inside the hotel.
The Rameshwaram Cafe is one of the popular hangouts and is usually extremely crowded during lunch hours.