New Delhi, Tough days are ahead for the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil as the two key allies of the ruling United Progressive government have decided to put him on the dock during winter session of parliament that begins from October 17, for his failure to stem growing incidents of terrorist attacks in various parts of the country.

The leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal Lalu Yadav and Lok Janshakti Patty Ramvilas Paswan have in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs that met on Thursday made it clear to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that they can no longer afford to support Patil for his inability to handle the sensitive Ministry like Home.

"We will not spare any opportunity that comes our way to take on Patil over the issues relating to security of the country during winter session of parliament," Yadav reportedly Singh at the end of the meeting. Both Paswan and Yadav tried to press upon Singh to change him before the assembly elections in six states. The leaders are apprehending that Patil's failure in discharging his duties could also hamper their electoral prospects in the next-year Lok Sabha elections.

However, the efforts of Singh to persuade his allies proved futile. Singh also tried to impress upon them that changing a horse in the midway is not politically advisable and it would also give an edge to the opposition, which is already demanding Patil's scalp. The two leaders urged Singh to immediately do something to put the things in right place in the Home Ministry.

Patil has been in the eye of storm after he refused to order a judicial probe in a recent encounter in South Delhi's Muslim-dominated Jamia Nagar that killed to alleged terrorists. The intellectuals in both the Hindu and Muslim communities have leveled the encounter as fake and held Patil responsible for this arguing that Delhi police carried out the encounter under pressure from the Home Ministry.

During his four-and-half-year tenure as the Home Minister Patil's performance has come under severe criticism every time a bomb blasted whether it is in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad or Delhi because the police and security agencies have failed to nab those responsible for the attacks. Patil also drew flaks for his reported strained relations with the senior officials of the Home Ministry, Intelligence Bureau and other security agencies, which possibly caused a lapse intelligence gathering and sharing.

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