HEAD LINE:

• Every perpetrator of terror will pay heavy price: PM (TOI)

LEAD:

It's been Mumbai's longest day. As the fitful night broke into dawn, Army commandos intensified their stakeout at the Taj Mahal while NSG and marine commandos (Marcos) focused on Trident Oberoi the two luxury hotels where fidayeen fighters have taken an unknown number of guests hostage. Earlier reports said commandos had cleared the Taj after 10pm, killing two fidayeen. But there was fresh firing from inside the hotel, indicating terrorists were still holed up. According to the NSG director, only one injured terrorist is still inside the hotel. Right through the day, it was a chilling cat-and-mouse game between the commandos and the fidayeen, all believed to be Pakistani nationals who came as a group of 10 from across the sea and berthed in two inflatable dinghies near Cuffe Parade. The fidayeen held off the commandos through the day, with bursts of gunfire and grenade blasts. The terrorists, suspected to be operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which now works in very close cooperation with al-Qaida, are believed to have been met by two to four locals. They waited for five hours before striking significantly at a time when it's daytime in the West and Americans were going into Thanksgiving. The strike time, in short, appears to have been carefully chosen. (TOI)

• As Operation Black Tornado, the mission launched by security forces against the most audacious Terror strike on Indian soil crossed its 24th hour tonight, security agencies said that all available evidence pointed to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba whose men used the sea route to reach Mumbai from Karachi. Lashkar spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi denied any role but sources said the go-ahead for the attack came after a Lashkar conference at Muridke in Pakistan on Sunday. At this meeting of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa it now fronts for the Lashkar which was held after a gap of two years, Lashkar founder and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed is said to have attacked India very strongly, stating that India ought to be punished for its activities in Afghanistan. (TOI)
• New Delhi: The Mumbai terror attacks have infused new life into the city BJP leadership. It was hard at work on Thursday to ensure that it converted the outrage into votes on poll day. And political observers feel this may swing some votes. While the central leaders tried to refrain from politicising the issue, on the ground, party workers were quick to take advantage of the incident. It's Voice of the Youth, Radio BJP, a motorised float, talked about the terror strike as it criss-crossed parts of the city even as workers made it a talking point in the various informal meetings held in parks and elsewhere. The day unfolded with BJP's CM-designate, VK Malhotra, underlining the failure of the govt in reining in terror. Said Malhotra, "After the Batla House incident, there's a lot of anguish in the people. The govt has glamorised terror, with people even collecting money for the terrorists. Even the Mumbai strike has happened because the police's attention was diverted towards an innocent when this attack was being planned." The allusion to the Malegaon blast suspect, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, in fact kept cropping up even as Malhotra described the terror strike as an intelligence failure, claiming the govt's response to all terror attacks has been "soft" throughout. (TOI)
• New Delhi: The BJP extended a hand of solidarity to the Centre on Thursday, saying "the nation must stand up as one body" when "terrorists have declared a full-scale war". "We expect that the issue of terrorism is kept above politics. This is an hour for all sections of society to sink their differences," said the BJP in a statement, after a meeting. "The need of the hour is for the people of Mumbai, Maharashtra and the country to stay united and calm. Maintenance of peace, tranquility, communal harmony and patriotic unity must be our highest priority," said BJP leader L K Advani at a press meet. While Advani was in touch with PM Manmohan Singh through the night the two spoke no less than five times the two also decided to fly together to the city. However, later Advani left for Mumbai with Jaswant Singh in the evening and the PM left separately. (IE)

MANMOHAN SINGH & GOVT

Condemning the Terror attacks in Mumbai, PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that these attacks had "external linkages" and warned "neighbours" that the use of their territory for launching these attacks would not be tolerated. He said it was essential to immediately set up a federal investigation agency to go into terrorist crimes of this kind and ensure that the guilty are brought to book. In his address to the nation, the PM strongly condemned these acts of senseless violence against innocent people, including guests from foreign countries, and appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony. "The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic, by choosing high-profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners," he said. "We will take up strongly with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated, and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them." (IE)

BJP

The BJP is planning to file a complaint against AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot with the Election Commission for use of indecent language against the party and its leaders. BJP National Secretary Gopinath Munde has said that he had no objection to Gehlot's criticism of the party but he had used indecent language and for this the party would file a complaint with the EC. Refuting Gehlot's charges that BJP is involved in corruption in Rajasthan, Munde said, "if there was corruption why did he not raise the issue even once on the floor of the legislature. Of the candidates given tickets for contesting election, he said that a new experiment had been made by his party this time by changing 101 candidates of whom 52 were legislators. (HINDU)

CONGRESS

Political parties on Wednesday expressed outrage and shock at the multiple terror attacks in Mumbai and saluted the brave officers of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) who laid down their lives in defence of the values that India represents. The Congress reiterated that the party's resolve to find and pursue symbols of inhumanity was "unshakeable" and that it would not rest till "we punish perpetrators of this ghastly crime." Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said an "unwavering message" should be sent that perpetrators of such acts should beware the wrath of a patient and compassionate nation. The party hoped there would be no politics of any kind on such an issue. The attacks in Mumbai bore the hallmark of a carefully planned terrorist strike, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said. The country expected the govt and the security agencies to uncover the full scope of this nefarious attack and the forces behind it. "Given the recurring and widespread pattern of terrorist attacks occurring in the country, the Central govt has to assure the people that concerted efforts are being made to tackle the problem," the party Polit Bureau said in a statement. (HINDU)

STATES

ANDHRA PRADESH

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has condemned and expressed shock over the "senseless killing of innocent people" in "obnoxious" terrorist attacks in Mumbai, "the financial nerve centre," on Wednesday night. Talking to media persons here on Thursday, Dr. Reddy, who was waiting for an appointment with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said it was a time when the entire country should remain united and defeat the nefarious designs of the enemies of the country. He praised the police for their "heroic" fight against the heavily armed terrorists and sacrifice made by the senior officers. "The entire country is behind them and I wish them all the success in the ongoing operations to save innocent hostages and to flush out the terrorists. I appeal to the people to remain united in this hour of crisis and teach a befitting lesson to the terrorists and their mentors," he said. (HINDU)

GUJARAT

Concerned over reports of terrorists, who struck south Mumbai on Wednesday night, taking a sea route to reach the financial hub of India, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi has demanded an urgent joint meeting of senior officials of coastal states, Navy and Coast Guard to be convened by the Centre to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for coastal security. In a letter shot off to PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday, Modi said since the terrorists had for the first time used a sea route for carrying out terrorist attacks in Mumbai, it was necessary to display a political will and chalk out a strategy to counter the "proxy war" being waged by terrorists targeting India's economically sound states. (IE)

J&K

Candidates of National Conference and Congress in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday demanded repolling at four polling stations in Mendhar Assembly constituency of Poonch district, where polling was held during the first phase of elections on November 17. "We demand repolling at four polling stations in Mendhar constituency where booth capturing, poll rigging and violence by PDP candidates took place on the day," NC candidate Javed A. Rana and Congress candidate Sardar Majeed Khan said at a joint press conference here. Despite a series of complaints lodged by them about these incidents to the authorities on the polling day, nothing substantial has been done so far, they said. There were also some members of the polling staff and officers who indulged in poll rigging in tandem with PDP-hired goons at three polling stations in Gursai and one at Kotan in the border constituency, they alleged. Demanding repolling at these stations, they appealed to the Election Commission for a thorough probe into the incidents. (HINDU)

• SRINAGAR: The election campaigning in the Valley continued in full swing and candidates' are expecting a high turnout in the next phase despite the Terror attacks in Mumbai. "The attacks in Mumbai will have no ramifications on the elections in Kashmir," said Sharif-ud-din Shariq, the National Conference candidate from Langate. "Had the attacks been in the Valley, the elections might have shaped differently but violence in Mumbai has no impact in Kashmir". The five Assembly segments of Kupwara district Kupwara, Karnah, Langate, Handwara and Lolab are going to the polls on November 30 in the third phase of the seven-phase polls. And with Friday as the last day of campaigning, political parties organised several rallies in the all the five segments. (IE)

RAJASTHAN

Keeping politics aside during his first election campaign tour of Rajasthan, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday described the terror strikes in Mumbai as "an attack on every Indian" and affirmed that the people would defeat the nefarious designs of elements out to intimidate and divide the country. Addressing an election meeting in this small tehsil town 40 km from the State Capital, Mr. Gandhi said the Mumbai terror attacks would not scare or divide the people of the country: "Nobody can stop India from marching ahead. The poor people of our country will surely make progress." "However hard they (terrorists) try to frighten us or drive a wedge in our society, we will not be cowed," said Mr. Gandhi. Though the terrorists wanted the people to stop their routine out of fear, people would fight back these elements, he added while addressing the huge meeting at the Shah Jalaluddin Bukhari's dargah grounds. (HINDU)

WEST BENGAL

A general alert was sounded across West Bengal on Thursday in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Security has been tightened around major installations and places that draw crowds. All superintendents of police and the railway authorities have been asked to step up security in co-ordination with the State police in the major railway stations, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said. (HINDU)

EDITORIAL

City by the sea: No other city in India is confronted by its own legend with as much verve and as brutal honesty as Mumbai has been. Now a bunch of individuals, of still unknown affiliation but clearly possessed of clockwork innovation, has alerted this country yet again that to strike at its cities and its commerce is to threaten the idea of India. It is easy to say after the event what the terrorists targeted: by attacking the comfort zones of South Mumbai and singling out foreign travellers, they have not been ambiguous. They have also been spectacularly successful, not just in the toll they have taken, but in the questions they have asked of the Indian Growth Story. Can India secure itself against randomly executed acts of organised terror? Can it be trusted to provide the sense of security that global business expects? Can it cope on the day after? That last question has been asked of India, and of Mumbai, many times before. And the answer has always been emphatically affirmative. There is little reason to suspect it will not be so again. There is also the sobering thought that this time it will not be easy. (IE)