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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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