BJP now wants a vote to fight
Pak
Sandesh Prabhudesai
21 May 2002
While Indian soldiers are countering Pakistani
shelling along the border, the top politicians are busy
here in a war of accusations on the issue of handling the
Kashmir issue, obviously to make it a poll issue and garner
votes.
Union minister for parliamentary affairs
Pramod Mahajan literally asked for votes for the BJP in
Goa's state Assembly elections to strengthen hands of prime
minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to fight Pakistan.
After arriving here to address his first
public meeting in chief minister Manohar Parrikar's Panaji
constituency, Mahajan even took the people on a emotional
ride. "The man heading the nation is fighting to save India
at 77 and we need to come forward to support him by voting
for the BJP", he said.
Taking the opportunity, he came down heavily
on the manner in which the Congress handled the Kashmir
issue, right from the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur
Shastri and Indira Gandhi.
"If they had not compromised every time,
Kashmir issue would have not existed today", said Mahajan,
adding that only the BJP and Vajpayee has taken a tough
stand on the issue.
Kamalnath, the Congress general secretary,
however flayed these claims at a press conference later,
stating that the BJP is unable to even perceive the situation
properly and handle the issue of cross-border terrorism
with a firm hand. He however fully supported any action
initiated by the centre to pin down cross-border terrorism.
"Their mere statements are not being taken
seriously even by Pakistan today. What we need is action",
said Kamalnath, though he declined to elaborate what kind
of action he perceives.
Referring to Vajpayee's Lahore visit and
inviting Pakistan president General Musharraf to India,
the Congress leader said the BJP government achieved nothing
but cutting a sorry figure in front of the whole world.
As the Congress has made Gujarat a prime
poll issue to counter BJP's good governance slogan in Goa,
the ruling party perhaps now plans to counter it by taking
the voters on a patriotic trip, thanks to the war kind of
situation emerging along the border.
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