archive: Vajpayee won both on battlefield and across the table: Thakre
Vajpayee won both on battlefield and across the table: Thakre
Observer Political Bureau
The Observer
July 7, 1999
Title: Vajpayee won both on battlefield and across the table: Thakre
Author: Observer Political Bureau
Publication: The Observer
Date: July 7, 1999
With the battle in Kargil region coming to an end now, the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to make it an issue for yet another
internal battle-the coming Lok Sabha elections, slated to be held by
September end.
"Not only Kargil - but everything that is being done by the BJP for
the welfare of the country would be made a poll issue," party
president Kushabhau Thakre categorically stated here.
Mr Thakre was in Goa to attend a one-day state executive meeting.
Moreover, he accused the Congress of making Kargil an election issue
at a time the Indian soldiers were fighting on the battlefield.
"They even tried to demoralise our armymen by raising unnecessary
issues," Mr Thakre alleged.
Evading a reply to why the intruders were allowed to cross the Line on
Control, the BJP president went on praising his party government for
its successful foreign as well as internal strategy.
"There was no financial crisis and not even a need to declare
Emergency," he pointed out.
Mr Thakre said that Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee had succeeded
in not losing on the battlefield as well as across the table. "He did
not go to USA on Bill Clinton invitation but remained firm on
resolving the issue bilaterally," Mr Thakre added.
He once again denied the allegation that the Lahore bus trip was a
failure.
On the contrary, Mr Thakre felt that it made several countries change
their hostile approach towards India on the Indo-Pak issue.
"It helped us in getting support of the whole world, including the
Muslim countries," the BJP president claimed.
While putting forward all these arguments before the electorate, Mr
Thakre hints at the party strategy to hit out at the Congress, making
an issue of its behaviour during the war.
The elections would now be held on time and the voters would give a
fitting reply to the Congress, the BJP president maintained.
Mr Thakre called it a happy day for India as Pakistan had agreed to
withdraw from the battlefield due to international pressure.
The Bharatiya Janata Party president, however admitted that the
government had to be alert till the last infitrator was driven out.
"We cannot trust Pakistan," he said.
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