New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party will attack the government in both houses of Parliament today on Italy's refusal to send back two marines charged with murdering two fishermen off the Kerala coast last year.
The main opposition party has alleged that the marines' escape from India was the result of diplomatic collusion between New Delhi and Rome. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj tweeted this morning, "It is not a case of diplomatic stand off. It is one of diplomatic send off."
The BJP says the government should have objected in court when the Supreme Court decided to allow the two marines, facing trial on murder charges, to go back to Italy to vote in the national elections there.
Promising not to disrupt Parliament today, but to demand and hear out the government's explanation, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad also said today, "Our fundamental question is how is our foreign policy being handled?"
The party wants India to respond strongly to what it calls the "irresponsible behaviour of Italy" and its "bluff and betrayal". In Parliament it has sought a discussion either under an adjournment motion, which entails adjourning business of the House to discuss a matter of urgent public importance, or a calling attention motion, in which a member calls the attention of a particular minister to an important issue.
In Parliament, it hopes to find support on the issue from the Left parties, which have a big political stake in Kerala, where the two fishermen were from. There is much anger in Kerala over Italy's refusal to send back the marines. Kerala MPs from the Congress, which rules the state, will also find it hard to defend the UPA government. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said it is the Centre's responsibility to bring back the Italian marines to stand trial for murder.
The Supreme Court had in February allowed the marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, to go home for four weeks on a written assurance from Italian ambassador Daniel Mancini; they were supposed to return by March 22.
But on Monday night, the Italian government sent word that while Rome is open to international mediation, the marines will not return to Delhi for their trial.
The government summoned the Italian envoy in Delhi last evening to lodge a strong protest.
The marines have been at the centre of a year-long row after allegedly shooting dead two fishermen off Kerala in February last year. In their defence, Mr Latorre and Mr Girone say they mistook the two Kerala fishermen to be pirates.