New Delhi:
The BJP top brass met in New Delhi today to discuss the ongoing visit of US President Barack Obama but did not come out with any statement on his remarks about tackling terror.
"Since guest is like god (atithi devo bhava), we will not come out with a statement till Obama is in India," a senior party leader said. Contrary to expectations that it would calibrate the remarks of one of its spokespersons, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, expressing disappointment over Obama making no reference to Pakistan in his first speech at Mumbai yesterday, the BJP
chose to remain silent.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, senior leaders Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and M M Joshi were among the prominent persons who met at the residence of BJP Parliamentary Party Chairman L K Advani. In the two-hour meeting, the party leaders firmed up BJP's stand when Swaraj calls on the US President in New Delhi on Monday.
Sources said Swaraj is likely to raise the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, the US' "protectionist" attitude towards India and other Third World countries, concerns over outsourcing and difficulties being faced by Indian techies in getting US visas.
On Saturday, Rudy had expressed "complete disappointment" over Obama making no mention of Pakistan while speaking at the Taj hotel in Mumbai, one of the main targets of the terrorists on November 26, 2008. "The Prime Minister and the Indian diplomats will have to answer a lot to the people of India as it seems that New Delhi is providing a political bail out to Obama following a poor show by the Democrats in the recently held elections in US," Rudy said.
While Advani and Jaitley have been invited to the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his official residence, Swaraj would attend the banquet at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
BJP's President Nitin Gadkari, his predecessor Rajnath Singh and senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu did not attend the meeting but BJP's Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia and General Secretary Ananth Kumar were a part of the deliberations.