Eighteen bombs in Surat, 16 blasts in Ahmedabad and the one that was diffused, and 9 blasts in Bangalore — the aim was as much to create an atmosphere of fear as to dent India’s economic prosperity.
While fear could be perpetrated by striking just about any city or town in the country, economic destabilisation would only be possible by striking at commercial centres. This, then, explains the choice of targets: Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Surat, all in quick succession.
Experts suggest that terrorists have, through repeated strikes, managed to undermine the country’s intelligence set-up. They are now changing tack to target the country’s economy. The understanding being that the impact would be more lethal. The strikes in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and the abortive attempts in Surat only seem to confirm this change of tack.
Both, Karnataka and Gujarat, have emerged as investment destinations. While Karnataka, especially Bangalore, has been the destination for investment for a while especially in terms of IT and biotech investments, Gujarat, through its remarkable growth, has become a favourable destination for investment in manufacturing and power over the last five years.
