Press Briefing Monday, 6 Apr 2009

Shri Kapil Sibal addressed the media today.

How ‘Majboot and Decisive’ was the NDA Government is reflected by the following:-

Mr. Advani promised to bring out a White Paper on the ISI but forgot about it during NDA’s five year rule..

Advani showed his decisiveness by releasing terrorist through Kandhar on their onward journey to Pakistan. Maulana Masood Azhar then set up Jaish-e-Mohammad which attacked the Parliament.

Atal Behari Vajpayee talked about a final war with Pakistan (Aar Paar Ki Ladaai) but nothing happened.

Operation Parakram, a massive deployment of troops along the Pakistan Border showed 11 month stand-off but nothing happened. The troops were withdrawn from the un-fought war which cost us Rs. 8,000 crores with 387 casualties between December 2001 to April, 2003 along with 1051 seriously injured on account of de-mining of the areas.

When Shri Parvez Musharaff took over the reins in Pakistan, the NDA Government’s stated position was ‘no talks with a military dictator’. The ‘decisive about turn’ was without reason and Shri Musharaff was invited to Agra which was a colossal failure.

Yashwant Sinha and Shri LK Advani called for hot pursuit on terrorist camps in Pakistan. Shri Advani’s decisive Pakistan agenda moved from pro-active to active to reactive.

Advani, the ‘Strong Leader’ when he was Home Minister recommended remission of sentence to five Latvian nationals and Peter Bleach of UK, who all had been convicted in the Purulia arms drop case. He made peace with those who waged war against India and let them off.

The above shows that his charge against Dr. Manmohan Singh that he is weak cannot be sustained especially when the charge is made by a man who himself is weak-kneed.

The ‘Strong Leader’ should have launched a people’s movement against corruption instead of launching various Rath Yatras. But how can a strong leader combat corruption when the party’s President Shri Bangaru Laxman was caught on tape accepting money and another Minister Shri Dilip Singh Judeo was caught accepting bribe. This is BJP’s decisiveness and commitment to the rule of law.

The saga continues even today with the flip-flop on Neera Yadav, first in allowing her to enter and then a quick exit. The ‘Majboot Neta’ now talks about corruption and black money when his own leaders distribute money in public places. Shri Advani talks about investigating into black money deposited into Swiss Bank Accounts.

Why did he not consider it important enough to investigate this when he was the Home Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of India. Why did he not raise this issue in Parliament when he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha?

Eleven long years of silence and a sudden burst of enthusiasm on the anvil of the General Elections speak volumes about the leadership of Shri Advani and his decisiveness.

How can a strong and decisive leader hold office of Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister while he was accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case? Shri Advani showed his decisiveness by holding on to the power even while he was accused of a criminal offence.

Advani also showed his decisiveness and leadership qualities by comparing Varun Gandhi to Shri Jai Prakash Narain.. The BJP party showed its decisiveness by pledging its continued support to a candidate whose vitriolic statements seek to destroy the social fabric of this country.

The decisiveness of Advani in embracing Jinnah was an act of crass political opportunism. When the plan fell flat, he had to give up the post of the party President following orders from the RSS.

A strong Prime Minister can hardly afford to take his orders from the RSS Headquarters. The diktats of Nagpur become policy prescriptions.

The people of India have to ask themselves only one question: Does India deserve such leadership which is duplicitous and seeks to destroy what secular India stands for?



(Tom Vadakkan)

Secretary, AICC