Home Minister Shivraj Patil [Images] on Tuesday claimed in Bangalore claimed that terrorism had come down under the regime of the United Progressive Alliance.

Patil who was in Bangalore for a day said that statistics would show that the quantum of terror incidents had reduced under the UPA regime.

Quoting statistics, Patil said that during the previous regime, 11,000 persons had lost their lives due to terror activities but under his regime the number of lives that were lost was 6,000.

He also said that the government was fighting terror with an iron fist and added that the Congress-led UPA government intended to curb this problem.

On the rift that has emerged between Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi [Images] and Uttar Pradesh [Images] Chief Minister Mayawati [Images] on the land issue at Rae Bareli, Patil said that the latter was causing trouble unnecessarily. "By doing so her (Mayawati's) stature is not going to increase. It does not benefit the state or even the country as a whole. Avoiding such friction is good for development," Patil claimed.

On the forthcoming elections in the five states, Patil said security arrangements were being made and assured that the entire process would pass off smoothly. He said that he would comment on the polls in Jammu and Kashmir [Images] after the Election Commission announced the dates.

Earlier in the day, a Christian delegation met Patil and submitted a memorandum. The memorandum sought protection for Christians in Karnataka. Further the delegation which met with Patil at the Raj Bhavan also appraised him about the situation in the state.

Queries regarding the latest incident at Attibele where a fire engulfed a Church on Monday were also made. The police maintain that the fire occurred due to a short circuit while the Church authorities believe that it was yet another attack on a Church.