archive: BJP challenges Cong(I) to release 'sensitive documents'
BJP challenges Cong(I) to release 'sensitive documents'
Special Correspondent
The Hindu
July 1, 1999
Title: BJP challenges Cong(I) to release 'sensitive documents'
Author: Special Correspondent
Publication: The Hindu
Date: July 1, 1999
NEW DELHI, JUNE 30. The BJP today aimed its fire power
at the Congress(I) President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi,
attacking her for criticising the Vajpayee Government
and demanding a session of the Rajya Sabha.
The party was particularly critical of Mrs. Gandhi's
reported remarks that the Government was looking for
excuses to get the people to ``shut up'' and not ask
any inconvenient questions.
Defending the Vajpayee Government, Mr. K. L. Sharma,
BJP spokesperson, said that this Government had shared
more information about the ongoing conflict in Kargil
with political party leaders and with the general
public through daily briefings by the Ministry of
Defence than any other Government in the past had done
in a similar situation.
He was critical of Mrs. Gandhi for not attending either
of the two all-party meetings called by the Prime
Minister which would have been the appropriate forum
for her to raise whatever questions she has on Kargil.
The BJP advised the Congress(I) to publicise the
``sensitive documents'' related to intelligence reports
that it claimed it had in its possession rather than
use them to ``blackmail.'' Mr. Sharma said there was no
need for the Congress(I) party to wait for a Rajya
Sabha session to place these documents in the House.
The BJP's perception is that on the basic Government
policy - defeat the Pakistani intrusion decisively and
free Indian land of the last intruder, talk with
Pakistan only after ending intrusion, and allow no room
for third party intervention - there is a unanimity of
view in the country. And if the Congress(I) party
disagrees, it should say so.
It seems that the BJP's policy now is to attack Mrs.
Gandhi and other Opposition leaders where it hurts her
most in the hope that this will help ``shut up'' these
parties. Senior BJP leaders privately do admit that
certain important questions related to Kargil do need
to be answered, ``but this is not the right time.'' And
clearly, the party feels ``that this is not the right
time'' because it is on slippery ground here and there
are no convincing answers.
As the conflict has now entered the second month, it
has become increasingly clear that the Pakistani
intrusion was well-planned. It is conceded that the
Pakistani operation from the time of its conception to
the planting of its soldiers in well entrenched
positions on the high ridges of Dras and Kargil would
have taken ``at least six months.''
The question that naturally arises is how all this
intensive preparation by Pakistan and its actual
intrusion into Indian territory was not detected in
time. And there is also the harsh fact that even BJP
leaders in private do grudgingly admit that if the
intrusion had been detected in time the men of our
armed services would not have had to pay for it so
dearly with heavy casualties.
But more than Kargil, it is the Lok Sabha election that
is staring the party in its face. And if the Opposition
is using Kargil to beat the Government with, the BJP is
equally deftly using Kargil to run away from answering
most inconvenient questions.
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