Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the attack on the Parliament building is shocking and disturbing.

“Attack on the Parliament building is shocking and disturbing. I condemn this act of violence. It is a relief that all the members of the Parliament are safe,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that despite the high security, such an incident is indeed a shocking development.

“It is clear that the incident happened because of a security lapse. It is the duty of the Central government, especially the Home Minister, to carry out a thorough investigation and make all the details public,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that today’s attack coincides with the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament 22 years ago — (Dec 13, 2001) — suspicions arise that there may be other motives behind this.

“Even during the 2001 attack, there was an NDA government, led by the BJP, in power. This raises several questions about the country’s security,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that media reports are emerging that the youths who attacked the Parliament building were given passes by BJP MP Pratap Simha.

“If these reports are true, then it implies that these youths might have been known to the MP. If they were not acquaintances, then how were passes issued to strangers? It should be noted that even inadvertent acts of negligence are also punishable under the law,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the Parliament building, which is the heart of the nation, has more stringent security than any other place or building.

“Yet, how did these youths manage to enter the Parliament with smoke canisters? Were any insiders involved in this act? Could there be any involvement of external forces behind the youths’ actions? When the security of the nation’s Parliament is not ensured, questions about the security of the nation’s borders naturally arise,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi bears responsibility for answering all these questions.