In a report to Gokulakrishnan, who is now in the city, BJP state president, K N Lakshmanan said it would be proper to order a CBI inquiry since persons from more than two states were allegedly involved in the incidents.

The BJP state general secretary, H Raja, told reporters here that Abdul Nasser Mahdhani, chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), in Kerala, was suspected to be behind the conspiracy to eliminate L K Advani. The explosives used in the blasts were reportedly brought in from Mysore in Karnataka, he said.

The chief minister, M Karunanidhi, had conceded in the white paper presented in the assembly that the blasts were aimed at eliminating Advani and that three "human bombs" were present at the venue on the fateful day.

A five-member delegation headed by Raja, on behalf ofLakshmanan, met Gokulakrishnan last evening and suggested various measures to prevent the recurrence of communal clashes in the state, particularly in Coimbatore.

A "truly impartial" government should not hesitate to put down anti-national and anti-social forces for fear of losing minority vote banks, he added. Raja said the spread of Islamic fundamentalism in Tamil Nadu was to a great extent because of the fact that nobody had been punished in the past 15 years in any case. There should not be any delay in setting up a special court and the culprits should be punished within a time frame, he said.

The report also suggested that the government put down `with a heavy hand' those who financed terrorist activities, and confiscate their property.

Police should conduct simultaneous search operations throughout the state instead of staggered ones, he said. The report said that check posts be set up again in places like Kottaimedu and Ukkadam, he said.