news details |
|
|
| BJP feud endangering India’s strategic concerns | | | ABID SHAH
New Delhi, August 29: Unlike the hawks in Pakistan who never forget the ‘K’ word despite worst differences in their ranks, back home the warring BJP hats are letting nothing go off their hands in their desperation to hit at each other. So much so that the internecine battle in the saffron ranks must be making now 10-year-old Kandahar cynosure, Maulana Masood Azhar, applaud them. Events in the saffron party during past couple of weeks or so have costly collateral in terms of India’s vital concerns. This is what intelligentsia and informed sections in the Capital have started to feel strongly about.
No less a person than the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has expressed concern over the sad turn that the top level feud in the BJP has been taking. Though on a visit to Rajasthan Dr Singh was appalled at the BJP crisis. And he openly wished that stability should return to the BJP. Polite yet meaningful words that the enraged top BJP lights do not want to confront. Their refrain is that before the release of three Pakistani terrorists, including Masood Azhar, in December 1999 in Kandahar the Opposition, including Congress, was consulted.
Not just this TV debates about the row BJP is caught in reel out bygone decisions of strategic nature taken during the BJP-led NDA rule. Experts say that this may not have cost in strategic, defence or diplomatic terms but such intricate postmortem may prompt adversaries to assess will and resolve.
Former Union Minister, Mr Mani Shankar Iyer, openly said that 26/11 Mumbai attack had its roots in Kandahar since this greatly emboldened terror network in Pakistan. Whatever may be the case yet the fact is that the BJP that has until the other day been at the throat of the Government in the wake of signing of a joint statement at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt between India and Pakistan is today too deeply engaged in a battle within its own ranks to spare a glance anywhere else.
Dr Manmohan Singh had to relent amid fierce opposition by BJP. And he had to say that bilateral talks with Pakistan could not be resumed until it took visible, distinct and convincingly stern action against those responsible for last November’s Mumbai attack.
Both Mr LK Advani and Mr Yashwant Sinha took the Government to the task in the last Budget Session of Parliament over Sharm el Sheikh joint communiqué. The Government had to relent and ever since Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan could not be resumed as was made out to be in the Sharm el Sheikh document. Today Mr Advani and Mr Sinha are beset with bitter rivalry against each other and have totally divergent stands over the expulsion of once a party colleague, Mr Jaswant Singh.
After his expulsion from BJP Mr Jaswant Singh is being seen as a new peace nick, in Pakistan and his book on Jinnah is being said to be as a most coveted work of history. Yet the fact is that ever since the BJP lowered its vigil as an Opposition, there has been a significant time lapse in revising Indian stand vis-à-vis Foreign Secretary level talks after signing of Sharm el Sheikh joint statement or at least in conveying this to Pakistan and the world at large. And, thus Pakistan has been able to announce a meeting of Kashmiri leaders by its foreign office across the LoC from September 4 where it expects leaders from both sides of the Valley to participate in order to “evolve broader consensus and better understanding over the Kashmir issue”.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
