New Delhi

Congress MP Rajani Patil on Thursday demanded strict action following the attack on National Conference President, Farooq Abdullah. She flagged the state of security, underlining that even a Z plus protectee became a target.

"If there can be an attack on a Z plus protectee, then this tells about the poor state of the security. We lost our PMs, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Farooq Abdullah is a person who played a major role in Jammu & Kashmir. Strict action should be taken in this incident," she said.

Earlier today, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari criticised the central government, saying that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of India are directly responsible for lapses in security measures.

"In Kashmir, which is a UT, the law and order is directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) there. It is a complete failure of both. After the removal of Article 370, it was transformed into a Union Territory from a State. However, neither is there a complete stoppage of terrorism, nor is law and order improving there. The Government of India has failed," Tiwari said.

Tiwari added, "Farooq Abdullah, his father Sheikh Abdullah and the current Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah have served the people of the State with full dedication. They are loved by the people. It is noteworthy how the security measures have failed. The Government of India and the Home Ministry are directly responsible for this."

The attack occurred when a man, allegedly carrying a loaded pistol, attempted to shoot Farooq Abdullah at a marriage party in Jammu's Royal Park in the Greater Kailash area. According to the police, the security personnel of the National Security Guard (NSG), who were deployed with the protectee, immediately swung into action and thwarted the attempt.

READ MORE: DySP Santosh Kumar's emotional reunion with Habib Mastar Sir

The accused, identified as Kamal Singh, was taken into custody. The accused is a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu. The firearm, used in the crime, has also been recovered from the possession of the accused, police said, adding that cognisance has been taken and further investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, on the reports of commercial Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) shortage, Patil said, "I want to ask the PM - this is a question about every woman and her household. The Govt should find a solution soon."