New Delhi:
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed an interesting passage of arms when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened repeatedly and rejected BJP leader L K Advani's charge that US pressure was behind India's decision to talk to
Pakistan.
In a sharp verbal duel during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, Singh asserted that there is no change in the US policy on Indo-Pak relations after President Barack Obama came to power.
He intervened on more than two occasions during the 75-minute speech by Advani, seeking to set the record straight on the Indo-Pak talks besides other issues like 'one-rank-one-pension' for armed forces.
"You are using this debate to sow seeds... What you are attributing to President Obama is certainly not true. In my discussions with President Obama, he has unambiguously said that there is no change in the US policy towards India and Pakistan (relations)," the Prime Minister asserted.
He was replying to Advani who suggested that the US was behind the recent Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level as Obama had publicly said during his Presidential campaign that he would try to resolve Kashmir issue.
This, the BJP leader, contended marked a change in the US position as the previous US Administrations had maintained that they would not mediate in Indo-Pak relations unless both the countries want it.
The Prime Minister was again in a mood to give back when Advani referred to reports that India and Pakistan had held "secret" talks over Kashmir and wanted the government to tell Parliament what the parleys are about.
He took the battle into the rival camp by questioning why the details of the series of parleys held between the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott were not shared with Parliament.
"Let me ask you one question. How many times did Jaswant Singh hold talks with Strobe Talbott. Was Parliament kept informed about the over dozen meetings? Why then are you expecting me to answer hypothetical questions," Singh said.
At this, Advani appeared to be defensive and said he had read about these "secret" meetings in the media. "If there is no substance, I will be happy," he said. He, however, said the government should be cautious "even if there is an iota of truth".
The BJP leader said if the government tries to reach any compromise on Kashmir issue through such "secret" meetings, there will be agitation throughout the country.
In this regard, he opposed according pre-1953 status to Jammu and Kashmir when the President and Supreme Court of India had no authority over matters related to the state.
Advani, the former Leader of Opposition and now now NDA's Working Chairman, also questioned the utility of the recent talks with Pakistan , which he suggested marked a shift in India's post 26/11 stand of not holding dialogue with Pakistan till it ended terrorism.
He suggested that government appeared to lack unanimity in approach over talks with Pakistan.
Opposing the talks, Advani said these were held even as Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor said terror infrastructure in Pakistan was intact and 700 terrorists were kept ready for infiltration into India.
"What did we achieve by talking? I could not see any positive outcome... The only concrete thing in the statement of Foreign Secretary (Nirupama Rao) was 'we will keep in touch'. It is not an achievement because we have been in touch even after Mumbai attacks," Advani said.
The BJP leader attacked the government for having talks with Pakistan despite the latter rejecting Indian dossiers of evidence on Mumbai attacks.
Referring to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's statement that the talks were "constructive", he said Pakistan, however, says 'we don't want any lecture from India'. "We are inviting insult," he said.
He mentioned the Indo-Pak joint statement issued in Sharm-el Sheikh in July last year after talks between Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and said it reflected a change in India's stance as terror was delinked from dialogue.
On the government's contention that Pakistan can't be ignored as it is a neighbour, the BJP leader said even former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to hold this view that one can change history but not geography.
"It is correct that we can't ignore a neighbour. But it is also true that since Pakistan is a neighbour, there is terrorism in India. We cannot ignore that too," he said.
Advani said BJP also wanted to have friendly ties with Pakistan and made moves in this regard during NDA government.
In this regard, he referred to the 2001 Agra Summit and said it failed because the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf refused to accept that terrorism in India had source in his country and kept saying that 'there was freedom struggle in Jammu and Kashmir'.
"Then we said (to Musharraf), leave it and go," the then Home Minister said.
Asserting that the NDA government's stand in Agra was correct, he said it had made Musharraf to change his position and agree three years later in Islamabad that Pakistan would not allow terrorism from Pakistan or territories controlled by it.
The PM intervened for the first time when Advani referred to Singh's Independence Day speech in which he had referred to steps regarding the demand of ex servicemen relating to 'one rank one pay'.
Singh said whatever promises have been made were delivered by the Government and that Advani "should not create a rift between the Services and the Government" on the issue.
A defensive Advani said he was "not creating a rift. If these have been implemented, I am very happy."
The BJP leader, however, added that the "feeling" he got from ex-servicemen was that the assurances have not been implemented.
He reminded the House that the Finance Minister in his Budget Speech of 2008 had said that Rs 2100 crore will be spent per annum in implementing one rank one pension scheme.
Pakistan.
In a sharp verbal duel during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, Singh asserted that there is no change in the US policy on Indo-Pak relations after President Barack Obama came to power.
He intervened on more than two occasions during the 75-minute speech by Advani, seeking to set the record straight on the Indo-Pak talks besides other issues like 'one-rank-one-pension' for armed forces.
"You are using this debate to sow seeds... What you are attributing to President Obama is certainly not true. In my discussions with President Obama, he has unambiguously said that there is no change in the US policy towards India and Pakistan (relations)," the Prime Minister asserted.
He was replying to Advani who suggested that the US was behind the recent Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level as Obama had publicly said during his Presidential campaign that he would try to resolve Kashmir issue.
This, the BJP leader, contended marked a change in the US position as the previous US Administrations had maintained that they would not mediate in Indo-Pak relations unless both the countries want it.
The Prime Minister was again in a mood to give back when Advani referred to reports that India and Pakistan had held "secret" talks over Kashmir and wanted the government to tell Parliament what the parleys are about.
He took the battle into the rival camp by questioning why the details of the series of parleys held between the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott were not shared with Parliament.
"Let me ask you one question. How many times did Jaswant Singh hold talks with Strobe Talbott. Was Parliament kept informed about the over dozen meetings? Why then are you expecting me to answer hypothetical questions," Singh said.
At this, Advani appeared to be defensive and said he had read about these "secret" meetings in the media. "If there is no substance, I will be happy," he said. He, however, said the government should be cautious "even if there is an iota of truth".
The BJP leader said if the government tries to reach any compromise on Kashmir issue through such "secret" meetings, there will be agitation throughout the country.
In this regard, he opposed according pre-1953 status to Jammu and Kashmir when the President and Supreme Court of India had no authority over matters related to the state.
Advani, the former Leader of Opposition and now now NDA's Working Chairman, also questioned the utility of the recent talks with Pakistan , which he suggested marked a shift in India's post 26/11 stand of not holding dialogue with Pakistan till it ended terrorism.
He suggested that government appeared to lack unanimity in approach over talks with Pakistan.
Opposing the talks, Advani said these were held even as Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor said terror infrastructure in Pakistan was intact and 700 terrorists were kept ready for infiltration into India.
"What did we achieve by talking? I could not see any positive outcome... The only concrete thing in the statement of Foreign Secretary (Nirupama Rao) was 'we will keep in touch'. It is not an achievement because we have been in touch even after Mumbai attacks," Advani said.
The BJP leader attacked the government for having talks with Pakistan despite the latter rejecting Indian dossiers of evidence on Mumbai attacks.
Referring to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's statement that the talks were "constructive", he said Pakistan, however, says 'we don't want any lecture from India'. "We are inviting insult," he said.
He mentioned the Indo-Pak joint statement issued in Sharm-el Sheikh in July last year after talks between Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and said it reflected a change in India's stance as terror was delinked from dialogue.
On the government's contention that Pakistan can't be ignored as it is a neighbour, the BJP leader said even former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to hold this view that one can change history but not geography.
"It is correct that we can't ignore a neighbour. But it is also true that since Pakistan is a neighbour, there is terrorism in India. We cannot ignore that too," he said.
Advani said BJP also wanted to have friendly ties with Pakistan and made moves in this regard during NDA government.
In this regard, he referred to the 2001 Agra Summit and said it failed because the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf refused to accept that terrorism in India had source in his country and kept saying that 'there was freedom struggle in Jammu and Kashmir'.
"Then we said (to Musharraf), leave it and go," the then Home Minister said.
Asserting that the NDA government's stand in Agra was correct, he said it had made Musharraf to change his position and agree three years later in Islamabad that Pakistan would not allow terrorism from Pakistan or territories controlled by it.
The PM intervened for the first time when Advani referred to Singh's Independence Day speech in which he had referred to steps regarding the demand of ex servicemen relating to 'one rank one pay'.
Singh said whatever promises have been made were delivered by the Government and that Advani "should not create a rift between the Services and the Government" on the issue.
A defensive Advani said he was "not creating a rift. If these have been implemented, I am very happy."
The BJP leader, however, added that the "feeling" he got from ex-servicemen was that the assurances have not been implemented.
He reminded the House that the Finance Minister in his Budget Speech of 2008 had said that Rs 2100 crore will be spent per annum in implementing one rank one pension scheme.
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